Back in Space
by Lysander's Pen
Summary: When a new portal opens from Mirinoi to Earth, Karone seizes the opportunity to visit her brother. But the reunion with her former enemies takes a turn for the strange when she and Ashley suddenly find themselves reliving their body-switching episode. Spoilers for PRLG and all of the Zordon-era series.
1. The Return to Earth

**A/N: Hey all. Once again, I've been gone for a while, only to come back with something very different from what I've done before. Those of you who know my stories know that my writing is driven much more by my characters than by my plot, and children's shows like Power Rangers are exactly the opposite. That said, Power Rangers In Space was an exceptional season that opened up a lot of doors, especially with respect to Karone. In my opinion, her brief tenure on Lost Galaxy utterly failed to walk through those open doors, despite the early attempts to confront her past. This story is my attempt to rectify that, and give one of the greatest generations of rangers the continued development they deserved.**

**That said, I've kept the audience of Power Rangers in mind when writing this. Those of you coming from my Scorpion story will not find this nearly as mature or complex. Power Rangers is a children's show, and it felt only right to continue the show's use of quirks and uncanny conveniences to drive the plot forward and turn unlikely events into run-of-the-mill occurrences. My focus is always on the characters developing through the plot, rather than the other way around, so feel free to roll your eyes at some of the wacky twists that will test our heroes.**

**Disclaimer: Power Rangers is currently owned by Hasbro, and is the eternal legacy of Haim Saban. But for a few OCs, these characters are his. I am merely playing with them for entertainment and posterity, and have no financial incentives or benefits for writing this.**

**Chapter 1: The Return to Earth**

As Astronema, she had learned things. She had learned that chaos was the natural state of existence, and that evil was the means by which that natural state was freed from the constraints placed on it by order and the forces of good. She had grown up to become a defender of chaos, an agent of Dark Specter, the all-powerful being that would eliminate order and grant eternal freedom to all things.

Then that whole reality that she had grown up in was completely turned on its head. She met the brother that she had believed long-dead, and he showed her an array of emotions that she had never known before, including happiness. Then the war ended with Dark Specter dead and evil defeated, and all that was left was unfamiliar.

After that, she had tried to help Andros and the Terran rangers however she could. But she was not a ranger, and her brother's overprotectiveness had too often caused him to leave her behind. Unwilling to sit still on Earth, she began shadowing him and the Terran rangers on missions, and that was what led her to Gwinnet, and ultimately to Karasa, where her life changed once again.

Though she had only briefly been a ranger, it had been the most fulfilling experience of her life. She had gotten to fight for meaningful causes, rather than for chaos and a power-mad demigod. Each time she helped save the people of Terra Venture, it felt like she was saving herself as well, putting her past further and further behind her.

Along the way, she had learned a new reality, a new natural state of existence. She had learned that life was the ultimate treasure, to be protected above all else.

But what had happened to Kendrix seemed to defy every understanding of nature that she had ever learned. Now, as she watched the true Pink Galaxy Ranger sit on the edge of the lake, somberly staring out at nothing, she could sense that something was wrong. Something felt tainted.

"Kendrix?" Both pink rangers looked up to see Leo approaching.

Kendrix smiled weakly. "Hi."

Leo stopped walking, looking at her uncertainly.

They had been on Mirinoi for over a month now. The first week had been a period of relief and elation, as everyone took some time to relax and put the chaos of the past year behind them. Then they all put their focus into building their society. Homes had been built, followed by places of business. Recreational locations had been designated for the children. Everyone helped everyone, and it hadn't mattered at all who had been a ranger and who hadn't been.

Now that people were starting to settle in, however, there was time to think about things. People started to think about the families they had left behind on Earth, and the elation of finding their new world and starting their new lives had given way to the somber realization that they were immeasurably far from home and everyone that they had known, and had no way to ever see them again.

Karone had no idea how far she was from KO-35, but she felt like she was a lot further away than she had ever been before. Looking down, she turned over the shard of twisted, red metal that she held in her hands. It was a piece of the Megaship, the same vessel that Andros had taken from KO-35 when he set out to find her all those years ago.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked.

Kendrix looked down. "I'm not sure if I can explain it."

Leo's face fell, and he walked over and sat down beside her. Neither of them had noticed Karone there, but she was just fine with that. More and more over the past month, she had been reminded that they had all become friends long before she came along.

Kendrix looked back out at the water. Leo waited, but she didn't say anything else.

"You know I'm here for you. I'll help however I can."

"I know." Her eyes remained fixed on whatever she was looking at, and Karone wondered if she was staring into a memory.

Ecliptor had believed that death granted access to the Realm of Eternal Shadows, where monsters who fulfilled their purposes in life could thrive for eternity. Similarly, many Terrans believed in a place called Heaven, an eternal paradise where people who did good in their lives would go when they died. Karone often wondered what had become of her old mentor, who had cared deeply for her despite what he was. She hoped that Ecliptor had found his way to whatever version of eternity he could enjoy forever.

Now, as she watched Kendrix, she wondered if perhaps the restored woman was remembering wherever she had been in death. Kendrix had claimed that she couldn't remember anything, but Karone wasn't sure she believed her.

She watched Leo and Kendrix for a while longer, than turned and walked silently into the forest, not wanting to disturb them.

There was a path leading back to the colony, but she walked away from it. She didn't feel like going back there right now. The others were all immersed in their new lives. Mike had begun a relationship with Haley, the slave that he had rescued in the Lost Galaxy. Kai had begun a new relationship of his own, while Damon, who was now Chief Engineer for the colony, was extremely busy with his job.

Maya was spending most of her time in the village of her youth. Karone was happy for her, but also jealous that she got to be with everyone who had ever mattered to her. On Terra Venture, they had bonded over being relative strangers among the Terrans, and Karone had been grateful to not be the only one who was not from Earth. Now, however, Maya also had the people of her homeworld around her, and Karone was the only stranger left.

She walked deeper into the forest, twirling the shard from the Megaship in her fingers. Then she stopped, sensing that she was not alone. A twig snapped to her left, and she quickly turned, raising the shard like a dagger.

"Don't hurt me!" Bulk cowered away from her, his thick arm covering his head.

Karone relaxed, lowering the shard. "Sorry, Bulk."

"It's okay," Bulk replied, straightening again and brushing himself off. "I understand, believe me. It feels a little strange to have gone this long without some monster attacking the colony."

Karone chuckled a little. "That's true, I guess." She wasn't willing to admit it out loud to anyone, but she missed the conflict. She had been raised to fight, and she was beginning to feel just as restless here as she had on Earth.

"There's always been some enemy waiting around the next corner," Bulk went on. "First it was Rita and Zedd, then Divatox, then… well…" He gave a slight gesture towards Karone, tensing as though he feared her reaction.

"Yeah," she replied, giving a small smile to assure him that she wouldn't hurt him.

"And now Trakeena's gone, and I keep wondering what's going to attack us next."

Karone glanced in the direction of the colony. "Maybe nothing will." As much as she missed the conflict, the people here certainly deserved to live out the rest of their lives in peace. They had been through enough. As had the other rangers.

"I hope you're right. Although, I have to admit, life is a lot more boring without the monster attacks." After a moment, Bulk seemed to realize whom he had just said that to. "I mean, not that I was one of the ones putting my life on the line each time, but…" He trailed off, looking away sheepishly.

"It's okay." Karone still wasn't willing to say out loud that she agreed. She looked down, twirling the shard in her fingers again.

"That's a piece of the Megaship, isn't it?"

Karone nodded, impressed that he recognized the little piece of metal.

"I saw you guys fly it into Trakeena's ship. It's a really good thing that Andros let the colony use it as a museum."

Karone nodded. Bulk probably didn't realize just how many other times the Galaxy Rangers had relied on the Megaship in their struggles. She smiled bitterly. "You know, I think the whole time the others were aboard the ship, they never appreciated it. They never knew how much Andros went through on that ship. How important it was to him." She looked up, suddenly feeling embarrassed that she was complaining about her friends. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to vent."

Bulk held up his hands. "It's okay. Sometimes we all need to get things off our chests."

Karone looked down again. She felt like she'd been needing to say something about the end of the Megaship for a while now. It hadn't hit her at the time, in the heat and desperation of the battle, but it felt wrong that Andros hadn't been there at the end. His beloved ship had been destroyed in battle over a distant planet, and he didn't even know about it yet.

She turned the shard over again in her hands. "This is all I have to remember him by now."

"That isn't true," Bulk replied immediately, surprising her. He tapped his chest, over his heart. "You have what's in here."

She gave a small smile. "Since when are you so insightful?"

"Hey, I may not always seem like it, but I've got feelings."

"You've got more than that." She still remembered when he had stood up to her on her last day as Astronema, at the end of the war.

"Besides, I kind of know what it's like to have a brother. I mean, Skull is not my real brother, but he's like a brother. I'd give anything to see him again."

Karone vaguely remembered the small, wiry man who accompanied Bulk back on Earth. Before she could provide sympathy, however, a cool breeze blew past her. She stiffened. The air was wrong. It was not the warm, clean air of Mirinoi.

Frowning, she looked in the direction the breeze had come from. Then she began walking in that direction.

"Karone?" Bulk asked. She didn't reply, and heard the loud crunching of the forest floor as he began following her.

Past several trees, she froze. There was a portal up ahead, and through it she could see a large bridge made of red metal.

"That's Earth," Bulk said breathlessly. "San Francisco."

"Earth?" Karone stared at the portal. She could see her brother again.

"We should tell everyone," said Bulk. "They can all see their families again."

"We don't know how long the portal is going to stay open," Karone replied. She took a step towards it.

"True," said Bulk. He looked back in the direction of the colony, then at the portal again.

Karone began walking. She wasn't going to miss this opportunity.

"What about the others?" Bulk asked.

Karone paused, looking back at him. At the moment, however, she felt irresistibly drawn to the portal, and the opportunity to see her brother again. Without saying anything, she started walking again.

Bulk hesitated for another moment, and then she heard him running after her. "Hey, wait up." She didn't stop, and he caught up to her right before she stepped through. "I'm coming with you."

"You don't have to."

"I want to. Like I said, you're not the only one who left a brother back on Earth."

She nodded, and stepped through. The air around her grew impossibly dense, closing in on every surface of her skin. Then she was propelled forward, and landed with her feet on pavement.

"Well, that was unpleasant," said Bulk after he appeared beside her. He looked around, then raised his arms. "But worth it. Welcome to San Francisco."

Karone looked at the enormous bridge in front of her for another moment, then turned and looked at the city around her. From her orbit around Earth on the Dark Fortress, she had seen cities that were much larger than Angel Grove, and San Francisco was certainly one of them. "How do we get back to Angel Grove from here?"

Bulk pointed in a direction. "There's a bus that will get us back there in no time." Then he frowned, patting his pockets. "But I don't have any money with me. Do you?"

"Dollars? No." Karone hadn't used the Terran currency in over a month, since the people on Mirinoi were still helping each other free-of-charge. She wasn't carrying money with her these days.

"Hmm." Bulk pondered for several seconds, looking around. His gaze paused in a certain direction, but it was several more seconds before he said anything. "Well, I have another idea, but it's probably a bad one."

"What?"

"Skull has an aunt that lives not too far from here. She's not the nicest lady you'll ever meet, but she might be willing to give us a ride to Angel Grove."

"Okay." Karone started walking in the direction Bulk was looking. Bulk hesitated for a moment, then fell into step beside her.

Soon, they were walking down a street where all of the houses were adjacent to one another, with no space in between. Karone found it unsightly. "Why are all the houses here stuck together like that?"

"They're called townhouses," said Bulk. "They're cheaper than, you know, regular houses, with yards and all that."

"I'm glad they didn't build townhouses on Terra Venture. Our apartments were so nice there."

"Yes, but apartment buildings on Earth aren't always so clean and modern. Townhouses are generally considered a step up from apartments." Bulk paused in front of a set of concrete stairs that led up to one of the townhouses. The house was a dull-gray color, but in many places the paint had chipped off to reveal the red brick underneath. Bulk hesitated again, staring up at the black door.

"Is this the house?" Karone asked. Bulk nodded. "Come on." She started climbing the stairs. After a moment, she heard Bulk start climbing behind her. When she reached the top, she knocked.

Several seconds passed without answer. "Maybe she's not home," Bulk suggested, sounding hopeful.

"Do you have a third idea for getting back to Angel Grove?"

Before Bulk could respond, however, the door opened, revealing a short lady with dark hair and horn-rimmed glasses.

"Hi, Auntie Ceci," said Bulk, giving a jerky, childish wave.

"Oh, hello, Farkas," the woman replied. Karone raised her eyebrows at the bizarre nickname. "What are you doing here?" Her eyes then shifted to Karone, and looked her up and down. "My, aren't you a pretty young woman. You're far too good for him, my dear."

"Uh, we, um," Bulk stammered.

"What's your name, dear?" the woman asked.

"My name's Karone."

"Karone? My, what a lovely name. Italian?"

"Huh?"

"Uh, yes, yes, she's Italian," said Bulk. Karone glanced at him, having no idea what he meant by that.

"Lovely. I'm Cecilia Skullovitch." The woman held out her hand, and Karone shook it gently.

"Very pleased to meet you."

Cecilia's gaze returned to Bulk, and hardened once more. "So, tell me, Farkas, have you found gainful employment yet?"

Bulk straightened and placed his hands on his hips, looking proud. "As a matter of fact, I was a bartender."

"Was? Were you already fired?"

Bulk looked wounded. "No, the bar was destroyed."

"Oh. Well, as long as you're not the one who blew it up, I suppose it's not your fault." She looked back at Karone. "I told my brother he should have moved away from Angel Grove years ago. He's had to rebuild his business three times now from all those freak monster attacks. At least it's been quiet since we beat that alien nafka last year."

Bulk gave a loud, fake cough. "So, Auntie Ceci, we were actually wondering if—"

"Oh, I've forgotten my manners, haven't I?" Cecilia interjected, interrupting Bulk. "Please, won't you come in?" She stepped aside to allow Karone to enter.

Karone stepped inside and looked around. The interior of the house was dimly-lit, and the furnishings of the small living room she was now standing in looked old and worn. A few holes were scattered across the gray rug that covered most of the floor, and white fluff could be seen emerging from within the cushions of the large armchair in the corner of the room.

"I know, I need to replace the furniture," said Cecilia, crossing the little room and sitting down in the armchair. "But I so rarely have guests, so I figured there wasn't any point to spending all that money. Please, sit."

She gestured to the couch that sat in front of the window, across from her chair. The sunlight had bleached a pale stripe across the center of the couch, and Karone couldn't help but stare at it as she approached the couch and sat down. The cushion sank heavily beneath her weight, which felt odd because Karone knew she didn't weigh that much compared to most Terrans.

When Bulk sat at the other end of the couch, the entire piece of furniture creaked, and Karone suppressed the instinct to stand lest she offend her host.

Then Cecilia abruptly stood back up. "Oh my, I should serve something, shouldn't I? Would you like some tea, dear?"

"Um, no, thank you."

Bulk leaned forward. "Actually, Auntie Ceci, we came here to ask—"

Cecilia interrupted him again. "Oh, I'm sorry. You must have come here for the soccer match, didn't you? The team from Angel Grove is here. I should turn it on." She walked over to her television and turned it on. The screen showed a recreational field with two teams scrambling around it.

Bulk leaned towards Karone. "Hey, look." He pointed at the screen. Karone recognized Carlos standing on the side of the field. Bulk lowered his voice so Cecilia couldn't hear. "Maybe we can get a ride from him, and not have to worry about her anymore."

Karone lowered her voice to match his. "Are you sure?"

"Very."

"Okay."

Bulk immediately stood, and the couch trembled again. "Well, Auntie Ceci, thank you very much for your hospitality. But you're right, we should be getting over to the game."

"Oh, okay, Farkas."

Karone stood as well. "It was lovely to meet you, Ms. Skullovitch."

"Call me Cecilia, dear. And it was lovely indeed. I hope to see you again. Though I doubt you'll have the patience to put up with Farkas for much longer."

Bulk's face fell, and he made for the door. Karone followed him out.

"That's an odd nickname she has for you," Karone commented as they descended the stairs and continued up the street. "Farkas? What does it mean?"

Bulk gave an audible sigh. "It's my real name. Bulk is the nickname."

"Really?" Karone half-turned towards him. He seemed to shrink before her eyes as his shoulders slumped. "Well, I suppose it's no worse than Astronema."

Bulk's face broke into a little grin. "That's true." He stood straight again. "Come on, that soccer match was happening at the stadium this way."

By the time they reached the stadium, the match was already over. The Angel Grove team was exiting joyfully.

"Carlos!" Karone waved over to him.

He turned and looked, then stopped in his tracks when he saw her. "Karone!" Trotting over, he leaned in and gave her a hug. "Finally. Andros has been beside himself."

"I'm back on Earth," said Karone. "We were stranded on Mirinoi for a while." She nodded towards Bulk.

Carlos glanced up at Bulk, and then back at Karone. "Sounds like you have a lot to fill us in on."

"Well, if you can give us a ride back to Angel Grove, I can give you a head start on catching up."

"Sure thing. The younger students will take the bus back, but I brought my own car up here. Over there." He pointed over at a black car that was parked across the street from the stadium.

"Thank you." Karone and Bulk followed him across the street to the car, and Karone sat down in the passenger seat while Bulk climbed into the back. She watched as Carlos started the car and pulled out of the spot. Then, as they set out towards Angel Grove, she fixed her eyes on the horizon, anticipating seeing her brother again.


	2. Reunion with a Twist

**A/N: Here's the second chapter. This fic is mostly from Karone's POV, but there are also some scenes from Andros's POV. Both alien personalities are fun to write.**

**I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: See the previous chapter.**

**Chapter 2: Reunion with a Twist**

When Carlos stopped at a gas station to refuel his car, Karone and Bulk entered the little store. Karone looked around at all the miscellaneous foods scattered across the shelves. It always surprised her how the Terran merchants seemed to try to sell everything at once rather than focusing on their particular specialties. It felt like the same items were in every store she entered.

"Come on, Paul, it's time to go." A woman walked away from the counter, with a little boy trailing after her.

"I'm not Paul. I'm Andros, the Red Ranger." The boy held up a little doll of Andros in his uniform. Karone stared at it, remembering her brother's reaction when he had first seen the dolls of himself.

When the identities of the power rangers had been revealed, the reaction of the Terran press had been extremely divided, and that division had been reflected by the Terran population. Many wanted to celebrate the rangers, but others immediately tried to come up with ways to exploit them.

The little dolls, called action figures, had emerged almost immediately, and Mr. Hammond had threatened a lawsuit when he first saw an action figure of Ashley unmorphed. Instead, an offer had been made to provide the rangers with a small share of the profits of anything sold with their likenesses. After some negotiation and discussion with their families, all of the Terran rangers agreed. Andros deferred to Ashley, which had become his instinctive reaction whenever he encountered the complications of Earth's convoluted economic system.

By now, the little boy had noticed Karone staring at the action figure, and held it out towards her. "Isn't he awesome?"

Karone gave the boy a smile. "Yes, yes he is."

Bulk leaned down towards the boy. "Hey, what if I were to tell you that there is a power ranger in this store right now."

"What? Where?" The boy began looking around in earnest, and Karone withheld a chuckle.

"Paul, let's go." The boy's mother gave Bulk a reproachful look. "Don't distract him with crazy fantasies, please." Taking Paul's hand, she led him out of the store.

Karone glanced at Bulk, and he returned the look. They started laughing at the same time. "That poor boy had no idea," Bulk whispered.

"Yes, it's a crazy fantasy, apparently." She turned and watched through the window as Paul followed his mother across the pavement. Carlos was standing by the gas pump, and the boy glanced at him. Carlos had gotten his hair cut in order to be less recognizable, and apparently it worked, as the boy didn't seem to notice who he was.

Bulk gathered some items to buy with the money that Carlos had lent him, and Karone added a bag of M&M's to his selections. They were the one Terran junk food that she wasn't able to resist indulging in from time to time.

Back on the road and with junk food in hand, Karone and Bulk finished filling Carlos in on the last chapters of Terra Venture's journey as they set out once more for Angel Grove.

* * *

Andros listened to the rhythmic bouncing of the ball on the pavement. TJ bent low in front of him, prepared to block whatever path he took to the basket. It was a matchup that had evened out over time, as Andros had gotten more and more experience with the sport, but he still couldn't beat the Blue Ranger one-on-one when TJ was trying his hardest. On occasion, when TJ was distracted, Andros could come away victorious.

Today, however, it was Andros who was distracted. There was something that he had been thinking about for a while. It had felt too personal to bring up with the other rangers, so he had pushed the idea aside, but today it wouldn't leave his head.

TJ watched as he stood there, dribbling over and over again, and finally stood straight again. "Hey man, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Andros replied absently. He stopped dribbling and stood straight. "I've been thinking about something."

"What is it?"

Andros opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn't come forth. He closed his mouth and then tried again, to no avail. Finally, all he managed to get out was "Ashley."

"Yeah, you think about Ashley a lot. I'm certainly aware of that."

"No, I mean… I think…" He looked away, his hands crushing the ball between them. He was frustrated with himself for not being able to say the words aloud, and finally he forced them out. "I think Ashley and I should be united."

TJ stared at him. "What?"

"I mean, I love her, and she loves me. And that's what people do when they love each other."

TJ's face went through multiple expressions in succession before his brows knit together. "You're talking about marriage, aren't you?"

"That's what they call it here, yes."

"Okay." TJ looked to the side for a moment, then back at Andros. "You know, people here don't typically get married when they're as young as we are."

Andros shrugged. "On KO-35, the age matters less. When people know they love each other, it makes sense to be united."

TJ waited a few seconds before replying. "I think maybe you should talk it over with Ashley before you go and propose."

"But the proposal is supposed to be a surprise."

"Yeah, but these circumstances are different."

"Because we're young?" Andros felt himself getting annoyed with TJ's apparent preoccupation with age when it came to union.

"Hey, guys." Both men looked over as Zhane approached them.

"What's up, Zhane?" asked TJ.

"Just the usual," Zhane replied, giving a sly smile.

TJ gave a slight shake of his head. "What was her name this time?"

"I'll let you know once I remember." Zhane looked at Andros. "Why are you in brooding mode?" That was the term that Zhane had begun to use to refer to any one of Andros's expressions of negative emotion, since he claimed that brooding was Andros's favorite hobby.

"We were talking about union. Tell him that on KO-35, age doesn't matter much when it comes to union. What matters are the emotions involved."

"You already told me that," said TJ. "All I'm saying is—"

"Buy her a really nice ring," said Zhane.

Both men stared at him. "Zhane…" TJ looked exasperated.

"That's what seems to matter most, how nice the engagement ring is."

TJ placed his hand over his face. "You guys are both such aliens."

"Engagement rings don't make much sense," said Andros. "For starters, if they're supposed to symbolize devotion and commitment, why do only the women wear the rings?"

"Because it's an old tradition that really symbolizes the…" TJ stopped, shaking his head. "Never mind. Look, talk it over with Ashley."

"He's probably right about that," said Zhane, suddenly getting serious. Andros stared at him, feeling betrayed. "Look, in my mind, it's got less to do with the age and more to do with… She's the only woman you've even looked at since we got to Earth."

Andros raised his eyebrows. "That isn't true. I look at—"

"I don't mean it literally. I mean you've been completely devoted to her. And that's fine. But before you decide you want to marry her, maybe consider that there are billions of other women to meet on this planet. There are other potentially great matches."

Andros frowned. "Just because you want to take advantage of the attentions of Terran women doesn't mean I should do the same. You've…" He stopped before he said something he would regret. He and Zhane had both been flattered by all the attention they had received from Terran women. And whereas Andros had been perfectly content to remain devoted to Ashley, Zhane had taken it upon himself to meet as many of the women as he could.

"That's not what I'm saying," said Zhane. "I'm just talking about the potential matches out there. Look, you're lucky that you managed to develop such a connection with one of the first two Terran women you met. Heck, you fought through a war together, and emotions were running high. All I'm saying is, before you propose, think about what…" He trailed off as a black car pulled up beside the court. "Hey, it's Carlos."

Andros was surprised to see the passenger door of Carlos's car open, and then stunned to see his sister emerge. "Karone!" He was running towards her before he could think about it, and she met him halfway. They embraced tightly.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too." There was something different about her, and Andros pulled back to look at her. She was wearing that same leather outfit that had quickly become her favorite before she left, but she was wearing it more confidently than before. That was it. She looked more confident than he had seen her since the war.

"What?"

"Something's different."

"I have a lot to tell you."

"She really does," said Carlos. Karone silenced him with a look, and he went over and quietly greeted TJ and Zhane.

Andros took a moment to recognize the third person who had emerged from Carlos's car. Bulk. That was random.

"I was a power ranger," said Karone. Andros stared at her. "I got to be a power ranger." She hopped on her feet a little, her face breaking into a wide grin before she pulled Andros back into the hug.

He struggled to digest the revelation. "How?" he finally managed.

"I became the Pink Galaxy Ranger after…" She trailed off, and pulled back again, the smile falling from her face.

"After Rashon," Andros finished for her, remembering the battle where Kendrix sacrificed herself.

"Kendrix is alive again. She was resurrected when we returned the Quasar Sabers to the stone on Mirinoi."

He stared at her. "What?" That didn't make sense. People couldn't come back from death.

"That's not possible," said TJ, his voice conveying the same shock that Andros was feeling.

"I know, but it happened."

Andros shook away the confusion. He couldn't puzzle over that when he was so happy that Karone was back.

"We should tell Cassie," said TJ. "She took Kendrix's death really hard."

Karone looked around. "Where are the girls?"

"They're at Cassie's. Ashley is helping her get ready for a date."

"Well, we should tell her before she leaves. It'll definitely raise her spirits."

TJ nodded and glanced at Carlos, who nodded as well. They each turned towards their respective cars.

Andros looked at Karone. "There's a lot more left to talk about."

She nodded. "Well, we'll have plenty of time to cover it all." She turned to follow Carlos, then stopped and looked at Bulk.

"I should go find Skull," he said.

She nodded and took a few steps closer to him, saying something that Andros couldn't hear. Bulk replied, and she laughed, then placed her hand on his arm as she said something back. Andros was surprised by the friendly gesture.

Bulk bid farewell and turned away, walking in the direction of the Surf Spot. Karone looked at Andros and waved, then went after Carlos. Andros glanced at Bulk for a moment, puzzled, but then turned and jogged over to TJ's car, where TJ was already waiting.

* * *

During the drive to Cassie's, Karone reflected on her behavior when she had seen her brother again. Ecliptor had trained her to reflect on her behavior whenever she acted childish or irrational. When she saw Andros, she felt giddy, and she certainly acted a little childishly, especially when telling him she'd become a ranger. But, regardless of Ecliptor's mantras, she didn't mind how she had acted. She felt like she could behave youthfully around her brother. After all, she had missed having a childhood with him.

She looked up as Carlos turned a corner. She had never been to Cassie's house, and wondered if it was as large as Ashley's was. She also hoped they weren't going to be intruding too much on Cassie's date preparations. "So, who is Cassie's date with?"

Carlos shrugged. "Some guy named Scott. They worked together at the lab over the summer."

"TJ didn't seem bothered that she's going out with someone."

Carlos briefly glanced at her. "You've been gone a while. Things are fine between them now."

During the last few weeks of the war, both Andros and Ashley had noticed a tension start to build between TJ and Cassie. After the war ended, Andros mentioned it to TJ, and Ashley mentioned it to Cassie. TJ and Cassie decided to try dating, but it hadn't lasted long. Last time Karone had been on Earth, things had still been a little bit awkward between them.

"It's been a long time now since they decided they should just be friends," said Carlos. "They just didn't have the connection that Andros and Ashley have. Kind of like you and Zhane, I guess."

Karone winced. No, things with Zhane had been different, though they had ended in the same fashion. She realized that she probably should have at least spared the Silver Ranger a smile back at the basketball court, but she had been so focused on her brother that she had barely noticed him.

She decided to turn the tables on Carlos in retaliation for that last comment. "What about you? Are you dating anyone right now?"

Carlos made a face. "No. You think I want to be getting into a relationship just before I start college? There will be plenty of people to meet there, and I don't want to have any strings attached."

He pulled over in front of a modest, pink house, and TJ pulled over right behind them. Karone got out of the car and looked up at the house, trying to imagine Cassie's life in it. She had found herself doing the same when she had first seen Ashley's and TJ's houses. She liked imagining what it had been like for the rangers growing up in their homes with their families. It seemed so foreign to her.

As the rangers approached the front door, Cassie appeared at it. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Uh oh, it's the Date Jacket," said TJ. "Ashley's lent you the big guns." The leather jacket that Ashley wore on most dates with Andros had become a running joke among the rangers, mostly because she never wore the jacket for any other occasion. But there was no denying that Ashley looked really good in it, and so did Cassie.

Cassie rolled her eyes at them, then noticed Karone. "Hey!" Stepping outside, she jogged over and hugged her. "Where have you been?"

"That's a long story," said Karone. "And apparently I don't have time to tell you all of it right now."

"Where's Ashley?" asked Andros.

"I'm right here." Ashley's voice came from the door. She smiled at Andros, then saw Karone and jogged over as well. "Hey, how are you?"

"I'm well."

Cassie moved out of the way so that Ashley could take her place. As they hugged, Karone felt the change immediately. Frowning, she pulled back, only to find that where Ashley had been, she was now looking at herself.


	3. Unfamiliar Familiars

**A/N: Hey all. I'm glad to see people are enjoying the story so far. Here's the third chapter.**

**Disclaimer: See chapter 1.**

**Chapter 3: Unfamiliar Familiars**

For several seconds, no one said anything. Finally, Carlos broke the silence. "Not again."

Karone stared at Ashley, seeing her own face stare back at her. She didn't have to look down at herself, the sudden tightness of her leather outfit told her that she was now in Ashley's body.

"A Body Switcher?" TJ turned and looked around. The others did the same, but there was no one in sight. The street was quiet.

"It has to be," Karone replied.

"Then where is it?" Carlos asked.

"You ask that like I know the answer."

"There's nothing here," said Andros. He turned again and looked back and forth between Karone and Ashley. "Ashley?" he asked quietly.

She looked at him through Karone's eyes and nodded. He winced, and Karone realized that this must be almost as awkward for him as it was for them.

"Well, this is not how I planned this evening to go," Cassie muttered. "Let me call Scott and tell him I can't make it tonight." She ran back into her house.

"We've got to find that monster," said Ashley.

"There's no sign of it anywhere," TJ replied. "How do we even know a monster did this?"

Karone rounded on him. "What else could it be?"

"I have no idea. Some kind of spell?"

"It has to be something to do with last time," said Andros. "It can't be a coincidence that it happened to Ashley and Karone again."

"The spell wore off when we destroyed the monster," said Carlos. "What if it was resurrected somehow?"

"How?" asked Andros. "And why that monster?"

TJ shrugged. "It's as good a theory as any." He looked at Carlos. "You and I should teleport over to the plant where we destroyed the monster and see if anything is happening there."

"I'll come with you," said Zhane. The three of them teleported away.

"This doesn't make any sense at all," Andros muttered.

"You can say that again," Karone replied. She looked at Ashley. "We should switch clothes. I don't want to ruin this outfit."

The eyebrows on her own face rose. "Are you calling me fat?" Ashley asked.

"No, you're more muscular than I am."

Her face smiled. "I'm just messing with you. But you're right, we should change." She glanced at Andros. "We'll be right back." Karone followed her into the house.

Several minutes later, they reemerged to find Andros standing with Cassie. "The guys haven't found anything yet."

"We heard," said Ashley, raising her own communicator.

Karone bit her lip. There was no reason why anything would resurrect the Body Switcher after a year and a half. There had to be another one around, or some other spell that had caused the swap.

She wracked her brain, pulling up the memories of Astronema that she had spent much of the past year pushing away.

"So now what?" Cassie asked.

"Is there anyone we could ask?" Ashley suggested. "I wish Dimitria were still here."

"All she would do is ask more questions," said Cassie.

"But she might know something." Ashley looked at Karone. "Do you know of anyone we could ask about this?"

Karone looked down. Her first thought was of Ecliptor, but obviously that couldn't happen. Very few of the beings who had been around her when she was growing up were still alive. She shook her head.

Ashley sighed. "Alright. Well, since there aren't any easy answers to be found tonight, I suppose you can still make that date," she said to Cassie.

Cassie shook her head. "I'm not in the right mindset for a date right now. Besides, he suggested that we spend the day together on Saturday instead. That could be even nicer."

"Well, I still have to finish that article tonight," said Ashley. She looked down at Karone's hands. "I guess I'll be doing that as you."

"Why don't we all head over to your house," Andros suggested. "We can put our heads together and come up with a plan."

"Alright." Ashley turned towards her car. "I hope my parents don't see us pull up. It'll look to them like I'm letting you drive my car, and you don't know how to drive a car."

Karone shook her head as she and Andros climbed into the back seat.

During the ride to Ashley's, she caught him glancing at her multiple times. "What?" she asked quietly.

He shook his head. "It's extremely weird seeing you in her body." He glanced at Ashley. "And vice versa."

"Don't get any ideas," Karone replied.

Andros started chuckling, and then Karone started chuckling as well. Simultaneously, they started outright laughing.

"I'm glad you guys are entertained by this," said Ashley, though there was some laughter in her voice as well.

Cassie looked back, watching the siblings laugh together.

"Uh oh," said Ashley. Her house was in sight now, and her parents were standing out on the front yard, talking to a neighbor. As she pulled up, they turned and waved towards the car, then frowned when they saw who was in the driver's seat.

"You're letting her drive your car?" Mr. Hammond asked, glancing from Ashley to Karone as they all emerged from the car.

"We're teaching her to drive," said Cassie. The response was so quick that she had obviously come up with it during the trip, just in case.

Ashley smiled. "I'm a quick learner." She walked across the yard towards her parents.

"Oh my," said the neighbor. "You're the one who used to be the evil queen who attacked us."

Ashley stopped in her tracks, glancing uncertainly at her parents.

Karone spoke up. "She's not that person anymore. She's just Karone now." She placed a hand on Andros's arm. "She's Andros's sister."

The neighbor smiled. "It's lovely to see you again, Andros."

"You as well, Mrs. Ginsburg."

"Ashley, I hear you're writing a wonderful article for the Angel Grove fashion magazine."

Ashley started nodding, then paused and glanced at Karone, who nodded in her stead.

"It will be great," said Mr. Hammond. He looked at Karone. "You do have a deadline to meet tonight, though."

"I know, Dad," Karone replied. The line felt so extremely foreign to her. She couldn't remember ever addressing anyone as 'Dad.'

"She's almost finished," said Ashley.

Suddenly, the rangers' communicators beeped, and TJ's voice came through. "Hey, we're back at Cassie's. Where are you guys?"

"Oh, hold on." Cassie turned and jogged several steps away, while Andros and Ashley both silenced their communicators.

Mrs. Ginsburg looked at the rangers in turn. "Well, I should leave you to your business. I look forward to reading the article, Ashley. Best of luck with it."

"Thank you," Karone replied.

Mrs. Ginsburg looked at Ashley. "And it was, um… lovely to meet you… Karone."

Ashley smiled. "It was lovely to meet you, too."

Mrs. Ginsburg gave her a somewhat uncertain smile, and then turned towards her own property. As she walked away, Cassie returned to the group. "Sorry about that."

"Is everything okay?" Mr. Hammond asked.

"Yes, everything's fine."

"Good," said Mrs. Hammond. "Well, Ashley has to finish her article, but you all are welcome to join us in the living room. We have cookies."

Andros and Cassie exchanged a glance. "I don't think we can say no to that."

Karone glanced uncertainly at Ashley as they followed her parents to the house.

"Oh, Cassie, didn't Ashley say that you had a date tonight?" Mrs. Hammond asked.

"Yeah, but there was a change of plans," Cassie replied.

"And she even lent you the Date Jacket." Mrs. Hammond looked her up and down as the rangers chuckled a little at the label. "Well, you'll knock him dead some other night." She led the way into the house and gestured towards the living room. "Have a seat in the living room."

Ashley's brother, Jeffery, was in there, watching television with a half-eaten cookie in hand. He looked up as the rangers entered. "Hey, Karone, you're back!"

"I… yes," Ashley replied.

"Where were you?"

"I… That's a good question." Ashley glanced uncertainly at Karone, and Karone realized that she still hadn't filled Ashley and Cassie in.

"She spent some time with the colonists on Terra Venture," said Andros, sitting down beside Jeffery.

"Really? That's cool!"

"It is cool," said Ashley, struggling to hide her surprise.

Mrs. Hammond entered the room with a plate of cookies. She placed her free hand on Karone's arm. "You, dear, should get to writing. We'll entertain your friends."

"Right," Karone muttered.

Jeffery leaned towards Ashley. "Can you tell me all about Terra Venture?"

Thinking quickly, Karone spoke up. "Actually, Karone, could you come with me? I need to talk to you about… something in the article."

Ashley quickly nodded. "Certainly." She gave Jeffery an apologetic look. "I'll tell you all about Terra Venture some other time, I promise." Leaving the room, she climbed the stairs with Karone. "Good thinking," she said quietly.

"Thanks." Karone entered Ashley's room and looked around. There was only one change in the room from the last time she had been here, and that was the triangular Angel Grove University banner hanging above Ashley's desk.

Shutting her door, Ashley sat down at her desk and turned on her computer. "I should have this done in no time."

Karone nodded. She needed to stay in here while Ashley worked, or the Hammonds would be wondering why it looked like Karone was finishing the article.

Wandering over to the full-length mirror opposite Ashley's bed, she looked at herself. Ashley's face stared back at her.

While she waited for her computer to boot up, Ashley stood and came up behind Karone, also looking in the mirror. "We're going to figure this out."

"I know." Karone looked back and forth between Ashley's face and her own. "I suppose there are far worse bodies to be stuck in."

Ashley gave a small laugh. "Uh, thanks. And ditto." Turning, she checked the progress on her computer.

"I forgot how slow the residential computers on this planet could be."

"Well, at the pace that technology is advancing, I'm sure computers will turn on with a snap in twenty years."

"That doesn't help us now."

"No, it doesn't."

Ashley sat down again, and Karone wandered over to the closet. "I suppose if we're going to be swapped like this for some time, I should become somewhat familiar with your wardrobe. When you're on Earth, you tend to where different clothes each day."

Ashley laughed. "Yeah, we do tend to do that here. Help yourself."

As Karone admired Ashley's dresses, she heard Ashley begin typing. It was a rapid pitter-patter noise, like rain falling on a wooden roof.

"Oof. Keyboard muscle memory goes right out the window when your fingers are suddenly a little shorter."

Karone frowned, looking down at Ashley's hands. Her fingers were indeed a little longer than what Karone was used to. But it felt like a small difference, magnified only because of how small and close together the keys on the Terran keyboard were.

Ashley spent a while typing, while Karone decided what she would wear if she were stuck in Ashley's body for a few days.

"So, you were on Terra Venture?"

"Yeah," Karone replied, not sure how much of a distraction she should provide.

"And? What did you do there?"

Karone turned and looked at Ashley uncertainly. "How close to done are you?"

"Almost. Are you avoiding the question?"

Karone shrugged. "I don't want to distract you too much. There's a lot to say."

Ashley briefly glanced at her. "Okay, hold on."

Karone pulled a yellow dress with small, pink flowers on it out of the closet and stepped back in front of the mirror, holding it up in front of herself. "You always look good in yellow."

"Thanks."

Karone returned to the closet. "You really like light colors, don't you? Yellows, pinks, light blues. No purples, no blacks. Well, except for the Date Jacket, of course."

Ashley laughed. "I have some black." She nodded towards her dresser. "But yeah, dark colors have never really been my thing." She looked down at herself in Karone's black leather. "We should probably get you a few new clothes. This outfit suits you, but it seems a little… well-traveled."

Karone gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I suppose it's been through a few battles by now."

"Battles?" Ashley briefly glanced at her again. "What exactly were you doing on Terra Venture?"

"I was a power ranger."

Ashley's hands froze over the keyboard, then fell into her lap. She turned to Karone with wide eyes. "What?"

"I was the Pink Galaxy Ranger. After…" Karone trailed off. She should probably let Ashley finish the article before she brought up Kendrix.

"Oh, wow. That's unbelievable." Ashley looked down, digesting the news. Then a small smile crossed her face as she looked back at Karone. "It's almost a shame Dark Specter didn't live to see that happen to his favorite evil princess."

Karone laughed. That thought had never occurred to her.

Ashley turned back to her article, but hesitated. "I've completely lost my train of thought now."

"That's why I was avoiding the question."

"You have to tell me everything."

"Finish your article first." Karone pulled out a couple more dresses and examined them. After several seconds, she heard Ashley start typing again.

* * *

Karone couldn't help but study what her face looked like in a myriad of different expressions as Ashley reacted to what she told her. She had never been one to make expressions in front of a mirror, and she felt increasingly self-conscious as she watched her features turn with Ashley's emotions. Finally, she was left staring at the expression of disbelief on her own face as Ashley processed everything.

"Kendrix is alive again," Ashley said quietly for the third time. "That doesn't make any sense."

"That's the same thing that Andros said."

"I mean, I guess her spirit was in the Pink Quasar Saber, and was released when it was returned to the stone, but that wouldn't have resurrected her." She looked towards her door. "We should tell Cassie. Kendrix's death really affected her."

"And that's the same thing that TJ said. It's actually why we hurried over to Cassie's today in the first place."

"Right." Ashley stood and turned towards the door, then paused. "So, the other Galaxy Rangers are still stranded on Mirinoi. Unless they found the portal that you came through."

"They were all starting their own lives on the planet. To them, it didn't feel like they were stranded, but rather that they had found their new home. For me…" Karone shrugged.

Ashley nodded understandingly. "All the same, we should probably send them a ship, just in case they're ever needed somewhere other than Mirinoi. We can speak to Kinwon about it next time we visit KO-35." She opened her door, then turned back to Karone. "You should ask my parents if I… well, you… well, Karone can sleep over. That way we don't have to worry about…"

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

Ashley gestured to their bodies. "A little late for that."

"True, I guess." Karone led the way down the stairs. Andros and Cassie were sitting with the Hammonds.

"All done, dear?" Mrs. Hammond asked.

"Yes," Karone replied.

"Wonderful. I look forward to reading it."

Karone looked at Cassie. It was time to finally tell her. "Cassie, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure." Cassie stood, and Ashley took her place beside Andros. Karone led her fellow pink ranger into the Hammonds' kitchen. "What's up?"

Karone studied Cassie's face for a moment. She had taken off the Date Jacket, but she still looked ready for a date. Karone wasn't eager to ruin that with the emotions that were about to hit the Terran ranger. "Kendrix is alive."

The transformation was slow. Cassie stared at her blankly for a moment. Then the eyes widened, the head tilted forward, the mouth slowly opened, and the hand came up to cover it. "What?"

"She was resurrected when I returned the Pink Quasar Saber to the stone on Mirinoi."

Then the tears appeared. "She's alive." She reached out, and Karone supplied the hug she was looking for. "I felt so terrible."

"I know."

"It was my fault she…"

"No, it was Psycho Pink's fault." Karone had heard the story three times over by now, and she was certainly familiar with how powerful the Psycho Rangers were. Nothing could have gone any differently.

"She's alive," Cassie repeated. Karone felt the tears on her shoulder, and tightened the hug.

"Hey." Karone heard her own voice softly from the doorway, and looked over to see Ashley and Andros standing there. She gave them a small smile, and they joined the hug. "Everything's okay now."

Cassie lifted her head and looked at them, her cheeks stained and her makeup ruined. She didn't say anything, but her fellow rangers gave her understanding smiles.

"Something smells good," Andros said abruptly. All of the girls chuckled as he looked around.

Ashley parted from them and walked over to the oven. It wasn't on, but when she opened the door, a pleasant smell filled the room. "We must have delayed dinner. Mom's keeping it warm in here."

As if on cue, Andros's stomach made a noise. Ashley laughed and walked back over to him. "Want to stay for dinner?" She then looked at Cassie.

Cassie looked closely at Karone, looking as though she were examining her eye. "I look a sight right now. I should… excuse me." Turning, she made for the bathroom, as Karone realized that Cassie had just used her eye, or rather Ashley's eye, as a mirror.

"I guess that's a maybe?" Andros looked at Ashley. "I'll stay, if that's alright with your parents."

"When is it not okay with them?" Ashley turned to Karone. "I guess you should tell them you invited us to stay for dinner."

Karone gave a small laugh. "I guess I should." She returned to the living room ahead of the others. "Mom? Dad? I invited the others to stay for dinner. I hope that's okay." Once again, she fixated on her own use of the words 'mom' and 'dad.' They were such foreign terms.

"Of course, Ash," Mrs. Hammond replied. "I made plenty."

"Thank you."

"Thank you," added Andros. They returned to the couches.

"Where's Cassie?"

"Bathroom," Ashley replied as she sat down beside her brother. Andros sat beside her, and Karone sat somewhat uncomfortably beside Mrs. Hammond.

Jeffery turned to Ashley. "Now can you tell me about Terra Venture?"

"Um, sure." Ashley gave Karone an uncertain glance, and Karone hoped she had given enough detail to help Ashley tell it as though she had been there herself.

Cassie returned a few minutes later. She had cleaned up her face, although it still didn't look like it had before, when she had been ready for a date. "Thank you for the invitation, Ash, but I think I need to go."

Everyone looked at her. "Are you sure?" Ashley asked.

Cassie nodded. Ashley stood and went over to her. Karone and Andros exchanged a glance, then followed. They all stepped outside of the house.

"Are you okay?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah, I am. I just… I need to think."

"Okay. You want a ride back to your house?"

"No, I'll walk. It will be an opportunity to process everything."

"Okay." Ashley hugged her. "If you need anything, just let me know."

"I will." Cassie hugged Andros and Karone in turn. "Enjoy dinner."

"Thanks." They watched as she crossed the yard back over to the road.

"I thought she would be happier," said Karone.

"She's in shock," said Ashley. "Kendrix's death was her most painful moment as a ranger, and she's thought about it many times since then. Now she needs to reevaluate all of those thoughts."

Karone nodded. She certainly knew a thing or two about shock and reevaluation.

"I'm sure by tomorrow she'll be happy about it," Ashley added. She turned back towards her door. "Come on, let's eat."

They went back inside. "Is everything okay?" Mrs. Hammond asked. She looked at Karone. "Did something happen with the boy?"

"No, everything is fine," said Ashley. "She just has a lot on her mind tonight."

Mrs. Hammond nodded. "Well, teenagers on Earth often do, don't they?" She looked back at Karone.

Before Karone could respond, Andros's stomach vocalized its impatience once again.

Mr. Hammond chuckled. "Ah, the universal language for 'Let's eat dinner.' I'm inclined to agree." He turned towards the kitchen.

Soon, they were all seated around the dining table. "Ashley, would you like to say grace?" Mrs. Hammond asked.

Karone's eyes widened. "Um… sure." What was she supposed to say?

Ashley spoke up. "Actually, could I try? I've been watching your custom."

Mr. Hammond raised his eyebrows. "Well of course, Karone. Go right ahead."

Everyone joined hands. Karone imitated the others as they closed their eyes and bowed their heads slightly.

"Tonight, we are thankful… that I finally got to come home and see my brother and my friends again… and that I get to spend the evening with this wonderful family… and that we all have the opportunities for love and for laughter…"

Karone fixated on Ashley's use of the term 'home.' She would not have actually used it herself when referring to Earth. Earth didn't feel like home to her, though now she realized that she had spent more time here than she could remember spending on her own homeworld, KO-35. KO-35 was home, but could she truly say that it felt like home? Most of her memories of being there were as Astronema, attacking the planet in some fashion.

So, what was home?

"That was very nice, Karone," said Mr. Hammond. "You've certainly been watching how Ashley does it."

* * *

After dinner, Andros bid farewell. The girls accompanied him outside.

Andros and Ashley exchanged a look. "This is a little weird," Andros said quietly.

"A little?"

Andros chuckled. "It's very weird."

"We'll figure it out," said Karone, and they both looked at her.

"You two were doing a pretty good job of acting as each other in there," said Andros.

"I hope so," Ashley replied.

"I'll be back first thing in the morning. Hopefully, tomorrow we can come up with a plan, and you won't be stuck like this for long."

"Okay." Ashley took a step closer to him. "Goodnight." She brought her hand up towards his chest, then stopped herself, looking at the hand.

Andros looked away. "Goodnight," he said quickly.

As he walked away, Ashley turned towards Karone. Her cheeks were a little red, and Karone found it strange seeing the color on her own face. Had she ever blushed before?

"I shouldn't… um…"

"Right." Karone turned and went back inside, and Ashley followed her. They climbed up to Ashley's room. There, Ashley shut the door and sat on her bed, while Karone returned to the mirror.

"Oh, I hope this doesn't last long," Ashley muttered.

"Agreed." Karone turned away from the mirror and sat down beside her.

There was a knock on the door, and Karone got up and opened it, revealing Mr. Hammond. "Hi, Dad."

He held up the Date Jacket. "This was left downstairs."

"Thank you." Karone took the jacket.

"Goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight." Karone shut the door, then looked down at the jacket. She turned to Ashley. "Try this on. I want to see how I look in it."

Ashley smiled, and Karone tossed her the jacket. She stood and walked over to the mirror, putting the jacket on. Then she did a couple of half-turns, studying the look. "Maybe not with the leather underneath, but you look hot."

"Yeah." Karone smiled. She did look good in the jacket, just like Ashley and Cassie did.

"Now you just need a guy to wear it with."

"A relationship is the last thing I need right now." Karone walked up beside her, looking at their reflections. "It doesn't always have to be the Date Jacket."

"Let the boys have their joke." Ashley took off the jacket and hung it in the closet. "You don't sleep in this outfit, do you?"

"Um… sometimes."

Ashley sighed, going to her dresser. "I've got some old things that would fit you. Something to sleep in, at least."

While she changed, Karone wandered over to the desk, looking at the magazines that Ashley had used for research on her article. She flipped through one of them, looking at the outfits inside.

"There," said Ashley. "That's better." Karone turned to see herself standing in a white t-shirt and black leggings. She looked like a normal, Earth-born teenager. "Agree?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good." Ashley turned and returned to her bed, lying down. "Bring some of those magazines over. Let's figure out what we should look for when we go shopping for you."

Karone took another moment to stare at herself lying there casually, looking as though she had lived in this house—and on this planet—her entire life. Then she did as Ashley suggested, grabbing some of the magazines and joining her on the bed.

* * *

She woke up well before Ashley did in the morning. That was common among her, Andros, and Zhane. They were always awake before the Terrans. But Karone was a little surprised that it hadn't been reversed while she and Ashley were in each other's bodies.

She watched Ashley sleep for several seconds, watching her own face in calm unconsciousness. She had never seen herself sleep before, and it was a strange thing to watch. But it was nice to see herself looking so tranquil. Even that calmness felt a little foreign to her.

Rising as carefully and quietly as she could, she stood and stretched, feeling the muscles awaken in the unfamiliar body. Quickly verifying that she hadn't disturbed Ashley, she went back over to the mirror.

Several minutes later, she wandered down to the kitchen. She was hungry, moreso than she usually was in the morning. As she looked around, wondering where she might find something suitable for breakfast, she heard Mrs. Hammond behind her.

"Good morning."

She turned. "Good morning, Mom."

Mrs. Hammond raised her eyebrows. "So, how much longer is this body-switching thing going to last?"

Karone stared at her. "How did you know?"

"Mothers know their daughters." Mrs. Hammond stepped past Karone into the kitchen. "You'll find breakfast over there, by the way." She pointed at the pantry.

Karone wasn't sure what to say. "Um… thanks."

"I suppose it's not surprising, considering how vastly different your's and Ashley's backgrounds are. You seem quite uncomfortable in her comfortable life."

"It's just… it's strange. It's nice, though."

"Well, I should hope so." Mrs. Hammond approached and put a hand on Karone's shoulder. "With everything you've been through, you deserve to have a glimpse of a normal life. Not that I don't want my daughter back in her own body soon, of course."

"We'll figure it out. I promise."

"The rangers always do."


	4. The Future and the Past

**A/N: Hey all. Here's chapter 4.**

**Those of you who have been wondering what happened between Zhane and Karone will get the answer in this chapter. Extensive reference is made to the episode "A Date with Danger," so if you haven't seen it in a while, maybe check it out. Not being familiar with the episode is not restrictive on understanding the conversation here, however.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Same as before.**

**Chapter 4: The Future and the Past**

Ashley was awake by the time Andros and Carlos arrived. TJ, Cassie, and Zhane arrived right behind them.

"Hey," Andros said quietly. He had a strange look on his face, and Karone understood why when she saw what he was holding in his hand. "I found this in Carlos's car. It's what I think it is, isn't it?" He held up the shard of metal from the Megaship.

Karone looked down. She had left it in Carlos's car since she didn't want it to be a part of her first conversation with her brother and the other rangers. Then, in her excitement, she had forgotten that she left it there. "Yes."

Andros's shoulders slumped. "And it means what I think it does, doesn't it?"

"Yes." He looked down at the metal, and she went over and embraced him. "I'm sorry, Andros. We rammed it into Trakeena's ship to save the colonists. There was no other choice."

She felt her brother's arms move around her as he returned the hug. "I understand," he said after a moment.

Ashley came up beside her, placing her hand on Andros's shoulder.

"She was a great ship," said TJ. "She saved a lot of lives in her time. I'd say she fulfilled her mission and then some."

Karone felt her brother nod. "I agree," he said quietly. Then he pulled back from the hug. "Would you guys excuse me? I need to…" He trailed off, then turned and climbed the stairs towards Ashley's room.

The other rangers watched until he was out of sight. "Excuse me," Ashley said quietly. Then she climbed after him.

Once she was gone as well, TJ looked at Karone, his face somber. "Why don't you fill us in on some of the happier parts of the story? You were gone a long time, and you must have had some great adventures."

* * *

Andros sat on Ashley's bed, allowing the cascade of memories of the Megaship to flow through his mind. He had spent a lot of time on that ship, and even though he had known that the time was at an end when he gave the ship to Terra Venture, it still felt different now.

There was a knock on Ashley's door, and he knew immediately who it was. It seemed strange that she felt the need to knock on her own door, but he appreciated it, nonetheless. "Come in."

She entered and shut the door behind her. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey." He looked at her as she sat beside him on the bed. It still threw him a little each time he saw her in his sister's body, even though he was certainly aware of the situation. He was so used to Ashley in her own form.

She brought one knee up and wrapped her arms around it. "Everything TJ said is true. She did a lot of good in her time."

"I know." He rested a hand on her back, letting her warmth comfort him. Then he dropped the hand when he realized that it was Karone's warmth, not Ashley's. Turning, he pulled up his legs and lay down on the bed, and she moved to lie down beside him. "It feels strange that she's gone for good, though."

"I know."

Silence fell as they each reflected. Andros turned the little piece of twisted metal over in his hands, continuing to remember his time on the ship.

After a few minutes, Ashley turned to face him, propping herself up on her elbow and placing her other hand on his chest. "Maybe it's a sign. It's felt like our time as rangers has been winding down for a while now. I mean, we've still had missions, but they've been fewer and farther between. And four of us are about to start college. Maybe this is a sign that it's time to move on."

Andros frowned. "What do you mean? We're rangers. We go whenever we're needed. We keep people safe."

"Yes, but we can't be rangers forever. I'm going to be a lot busier in college, and so are the others."

He couldn't imagine not being a ranger. At the start, becoming a ranger had been a means to an end, as his sole focus had been on finding Karone. But a lot had happened during his time in red, and being a ranger had become his life.

"Besides, there's a lot more to each of us than being a ranger." He gave her a skeptical look, and she frowned. "Oh, come on." She withdrew her hand and sat up, pulling her knees up as she turned to face him. "I'm Ashley Hammond. First runner-up to valedictorian, half-decent mechanic and engineer, amateur fashion writer, former cheerleader. I have some legal knowledge from my father, not that I would ever want to be a lawyer. I like to think I have my mother's sense for marketing, but that's probably a stretch."

"You're just reciting the stuff from your college interviews." He was trying to ignore how strange it was to hear her pitch coming in Karone's voice, and from Karone's face. "And you're forgetting the fun parts. Amazing dancer, friend, girlfriend. A heck of a lot of fun to be around."

She smiled. "Exactly. Now you do it. Talk about yourself. Don't mention the ranger part."

"Okay." Andros looked up at the ceiling, searching for what to say. "I'm Andros. I'm from KO-35. I… I know how to fly a spaceship. I'm pretty good at martial arts."

She rolled her eyes. "Both skills you learned while being a ranger."

He threw up his hands. "Well, what do you want me to say? I've been a ranger for years, and it's not like I've had the chance to go to school or write for magazines during that time. Being a ranger is who I am."

"But it's not everything you are. Keep trying."

He sighed. "I…" He searched again, but his frustration was building. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have. "I'm not doing this anymore."

"Andros…"

"Look, I have no plan to stop being a ranger any time soon. I get that I can't do it forever. I'm going to get old at some point, and my body will be more fragile. But I'm going to do this for as long as I can, and after that I'll just be…" He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe I'll mentor new rangers. Mentor, pilot, husband…"

"Husband?" She leaned back so abruptly that she fell off the bed.

He was up in a flash, leaning down to make sure she was okay. "Ashley?"

"I'm okay." She groaned as she sat up. "Your sister needs more padding on the shoulder blades."

He took her hand, helping her back up onto the bed, and sat beside her.

"Husband?"

"I mean, you would want that, wouldn't you?"

"Uh, yeah… I guess… eventually." She shut her eyes, rubbing her shoulder. "Don't rush me."

He nodded, remembering his conversation with TJ yesterday.

"But let's get back to you for a second. You forgot some things. You're exceptionally sweet. You have limitless compassion and loyalty."

He smiled, looking down. "Those aren't exactly life skills."

"They certainly can be." She leaned towards him, and he leaned away from Karone's form. She caught herself, then gave a small laugh. "I suppose we should get back to worrying about the crisis du jour."

"Yeah." He looked away from her, then stood. "The others are probably waiting for us."

He slipped the shard from the Megaship into his pocket as they descended the stairs. They found the others sitting on the large patio in the back yard.

"Hey, welcome back." TJ looked up at them, and studied Andros's face. "You good?" he asked quietly.

Andros nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"I think we should go for some ice cream," Zhane suggested. "That will cheer everyone up."

"It's certainly a good day for it," said Carlos. He shielded his eyes and looked up at the summer sky.

Andros rolled his eyes at Zhane. The man certainly enjoyed Terran indulgences.

Zhane caught the gesture and winked. "Come on. You know you want it."

Andros sighed. Zhane was right that it would make him feel better, though he would probably feel guilty about it later. "Alright. Let's go to the Surf Spot."

* * *

When they arrived at the new outdoor, umbrella-covered tables outside the Surf Spot, Karone immediately spotted Bulk. He was sitting with the smaller man whom she now recognized as Skull. She wanted to get his attention, but the two men were talking with their heads close together, as though they were conspiring over something. She smiled. At least he was back with the man he viewed as a brother.

"I'm not even sure what I like now," Ashley said as they sat down. "Dinner tasted different last night, and so did breakfast this morning."

Karone looked at her. She had noticed the same differences, but had shrugged it off as a result of over a month of eating on Mirinoi, where Kai had been experimenting with local fruits and spices to make new flavors.

"You've got different taste buds," said Cassie. She nodded towards Karone. "You've got her mouth, so you like what she likes. And vice versa."

Ashley looked at Karone. "So, what do I like? I mean, what do you like?"

"Anything chocolate." Karone's heart sank as she realized that chocolate might not taste like chocolate to her anymore. "And what do I like?"

"That's an easy one," said Andros. He and TJ looked at each other. "Banana splits," they said in unison.

Karone wrinkled her nose. "I don't like bananas."

"You do now," said Ashley. She rolled her eyes at the men's expressions.

Adelle came up to the table, looking at Ashley. "Karone, welcome back."

Ashley smiled. "Thanks, Adelle."

"What will it be?"

"Um, something with chocolate."

"I got just the thing. You're going to love it." Then she took the other rangers' orders. Finally, she looked at the real Karone. "And I don't even need to ask you, do I? Banana split?"

"Yes," Karone replied reluctantly.

"Coming right up." Adelle turned and walked away.

Zhane laughed. "You're so predictable, Ashley." He exaggerated the name as he looked at Karone.

She cast him a glare, and he quickly shut his mouth. At least she could still do that, even with Ashley's face.

Over his shoulder, she saw Skull accidently spill his drink on Bulk. Bulk responded by flicking some of his ice cream onto Skull's face. Karone raised her eyebrows at the juvenile action.

Cassie followed her gaze. "Oh, don't mind them. They'll be up to their usual antics now that they're back together again."

Karone watched as the two men made exaggerated gestures at each other. "They act more juvenile when they're together?"

TJ shrugged. "Maybe it's a nostalgia thing. They remind each other of the old times."

Karone knit her brows together, but then turned her attention away from Bulk and towards Cassie. "How are you feeling, by the way?"

Cassie nodded. "Better. I called Scott last night. I didn't give him all the details, but he made me feel better."

"He sounds like a nice guy."

"He is."

Adelle brought their orders. Karone looked forlornly at the heap of chocolate on Ashley's plate, and then at the banana monstrosity that Adelle placed in front of her. As the others dug in, she hesitated.

"Holy cow," said Ashley after she took her first bite. Karone looked enviously at the pleasant surprise on her own face.

"I told you you'd love it," said Adelle. "Enjoy, everybody." She walked away proudly.

Ashley looked at Karone. "You weren't kidding. Chocolate is heaven for you." She eagerly took another bite.

Karone sighed, and looked back down at her banana whatever-it-was.

Her brother nudged her. "Just try it. You're going to love it as much as she does."

She gave him a skeptical look, and then her attention was once again drawn to Bulk and Skull. One of them had knocked the umbrella over their table askew, and now they were both trying to fix it, and getting in each other's way in the process.

Standing, she walked over to them.

Skull noticed her first. "Oh, hey, Ashley." He went back to trying to fix the umbrella, knocking Bulk's arm out of the way. Bulk made a face, and knocked Skull's arm out of the way in turn.

"Move," said Karone.

Bulk gave her a polite look. "Don't worry, Ashley, we can handle this."

"Get out of the way, Bulk."

Both men gave her surprised looks, and stepped aside. Karone quickly fixed the umbrella.

"Is everything okay?" Bulk asked.

"Trouble in paradise with the alien?" Skull added.

Bulk gave him a reproachful look. "What did I tell you? They're not really aliens. They're just as human as we are."

Karone realized that he wasn't just referring to Andros, and gave him an appreciative look. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." His gaze drifted over her shoulder towards the table she had come from. "I suppose I've… developed a new appreciation for them."

Karone realized that he was probably looking at Ashley, not realizing that the real Karone was already standing right in front of him. "Hey, can I talk to you?"

"You already are talking to him," said Skull.

"Alone, I mean."

"Um, okay." Bulk looked confused. "Sure."

He glanced at Skull, as did Karone. The smaller man just stood there, looking from one to the other.

"Skull," said Bulk.

"What?"

Bulk nodded in a random direction.

"Oh. Right. Alone as in… not with me here. I'll just…" Skull looked in a random direction. "I'll catch up with you later, Bulky." He walked away.

"We could have just gone to a different table," said Karone.

"He'll be happier finding something else to do, rather than just sitting here and watching us leave him out of the conversation." Bulk sat down, and Karone followed suit. "So, what is it, Ashley?"

Karone looked at him for a moment. "It's really strange, you know. You were acting so childish when you were with him. But the moment he walks away, you start talking more maturely, and reveal that you were thinking about his happiness."

Bulk shrugged, leaning over the table and resting his head on his hand. "We've been friends forever. He's like my brother." He frowned for a moment. "You have a brother, right? Jeffery, I think."

Karone nodded. The truth could wait for a moment.

"Don't you ever act more childish when you are with him? When you're with siblings, you don't always have to act your age. It's nice. It's a reminder of simpler times."

Karone looked down. She had no memory of simpler times with Andros. She had missed having a childhood with him.

"Skull and I have done a lot of stupid things together. But we've always been happy doing them together. And after I've been away for a year, it's especially nice to get back to that."

Karone nodded. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be childish with Andros. For a moment, they could act like the juveniles they had never really gotten to be together.

But Andros would never go for that. He had far too big a conscience, and Karone wouldn't have her brother be any other way.

"Anyway, what did you want to talk about, Ashley?"

She looked back up at him. It took a moment to push the thoughts of missed childhood away. "I'm not Ashley. I'm Karone."

He stared at her. "Huh?"

"We got body-swapped… again."

"Again?"

"Well, the first time was because I ordered a monster to do it."

He leaned back. "Oh, you mean, back when you were…"

"Right. This time, though…"

He stiffened. "Another monster?" He began looking around anxiously.

"No… I don't know. There's been no other sign of any monsters."

He calmed and looked back at her. "So how did this happen?"

"I have no idea. And we have no idea how to fix it, either."

"Maya."

Karone frowned. "Maya? What would she—"

Bulk held up a hand, interrupting her, then pointed. Karone looked in the indicated direction, and was stunned to see Maya approaching them.

"Maya?"

"Finally. I've been looking everywhere for you."

"How did you get here?"

"I followed you through the portal."

"You saw us leave?"

"I…" She hesitated for a moment. "I overheard your conversation in the forest."

Karone frowned. "You were eavesdropping on us?"

"I couldn't help it. You stopped practically right under the tree I was sitting in. You never looked up."

"You could have let us know that you were there."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Karone looked down, then realized that she was still in Ashley's body, and Maya was talking to her as if that weren't the case. "How did you know that I'm… me?"

"Your face is Ashley's, but your feelings are very much Karone's."

"Right." Maya's sensitivity to emotions had never been Karone's favorite of her features. There were times when she wanted to keep her feelings hidden.

"What were you doing alone in the forest?" Bulk asked.

Maya shrugged. "It's nice to get away once in a while. There was a lot of pressure, being the primary connection between my people on Mirinoi and the new colonists. Our cultures are very different, and it was taking time for the bonds of friendship to build." She looked down. "There was some negativity on both sides, and I felt… Sometimes I just need to be alone, in a peaceful place. Away from all the human emotions."

Karone felt guilty for her anger now. She had never known that Maya felt that way.

"I had no idea that escaping to the forest for a little while would lead to… this." She looked around.

"Well, welcome to Earth," said Karone. It was a moment before she realized the irony of her being the one to say that, since she wasn't from Earth herself.

"I got a little taste of Earth on Terra Venture, but… Terra Venture wasn't this dirty."

Bulk shrugged. "It was supposed to be a clean start for humanity. They kept it that way."

"I can see why. At least it's not as bad in this village as it was in that big city where we arrived."

"San Francisco."

"Right. It was awful. I tried… I went back to the portal, but it had already closed." She gave Bulk a fierce look. "Your people better not make Mirinoi look like San Francisco."

"We won't. We've learned from our mistakes." He hesitated for a moment. "At least, I hope we have."

"If the portal closed, then you're stranded here," said Karone.

Maya made a face. "I'm ignoring that thought for the moment, and thinking of this as… a new adventure."

"How did you get to Angel Grove?" Bulk asked.

"A man gave me a ride."

Bulk raised his eyebrows. "And he didn't want anything in return?"

"No, only company. He was nice. Lonely, and nice. He kind of reminded me of what Damon was like when we first met."

"Hey, Maya!" The other rangers had noticed her and approached. Karone grimaced when she saw that her brother was holding her untouched banana split.

"Hello. It's great to see you all again." Maya hugged each of them in turn.

Zhane, who had never met Maya, was at the back, and he smiled when she introduced herself. "Very pleased to meet you. I'm Zhane."

Something about the look he was giving her bothered Karone. She had caught him staring at beautiful women before, plenty of times. And Maya was certainly beautiful. But she knew Maya, and that made her uncomfortable with Zhane's gaze.

While Maya explained the circumstances of her arrival, Andros quietly held the banana split out for Karone. Karone waved his hand away.

"Ooh, what is that?" Maya asked, interrupting her story.

"A banana split," said Ashley. "It's an excellent dessert."

"May I try it?"

"You can have all of it, if you like," said Karone. She knew that Maya was never one to shy away from Terran sweets. Kai and Damon had told her the story of the birthday cake incident.

Maya took the plate from Andros and sat down beside Karone, digging in. "It's excellent."

"Isn't it?" said Ashley, giving Karone a glance. Karone didn't feel as though she was missing out at all, no matter whose taste buds she had.

As Maya continued her story, Zhane sat down beside her, showing exaggerated interest in what she had to say. There weren't enough seats for everyone, and Karone stood, giving her seat to her brother and walking over to the bar.

Bulk followed suit, joining her as she asked Adelle for a glass of water. "I hope you don't mind me noticing that your expression changed rather quickly there. What do you have against banana splits?"

"I don't like bananas. At least, when I have my own mouth, I don't like bananas. Ashley does, but… still." She wrinkled her nose.

Bulk nodded, looking back over at the table. "You know, I got used to the men staring at Maya when they first saw her on Terra Venture. It's a little funny to see it happen a second time around, though. Half the men here are staring at her."

Karone looked around the outdoor tables. Indeed, Zhane was far from the only one staring. His interest was the only one that bothered her, though.

She turned away, thanking Adelle for the water and taking a long sip.

"Okay, something's bothering you more than the banana split," said Bulk. "Did something happen between you and Maya back on Mirinoi?"

"No, not at all."

"Then what is it? I would think you would be happy to see her again."

"I am. It's just… It's complicated."

"I've got time for complicated."

Karone sighed, looking back over at the table. "Look at Zhane."

Bulk looked, and shrugged. "Like I said, half the men here are staring."

"Back when I was Astronema, he and I had a moment."

"Back when…" Bulk made a face. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"But you were still evil back then. Is he… into that kind of thing?"

Karone shrugged. "I didn't know it at the time, but that was the first time that Karone surfaced. It was the first time I saw myself as a human, with human feelings. I disguised myself for an encounter with him, not knowing that my disguise was the real me." She gestured towards Ashley. "Karone."

"What happened?"

"There was a miscommunication with Ecliptor, which I also didn't know about at the time. Zhane was held up by my own monster, but I thought he was standing me up."

"I imagine you didn't react well to that."

Karone laughed a little at the memory of Zhane in the mud. "No, I didn't. But it was probably for the best. It served as a reminder that we were on opposite sides of the war."

"Like in that movie, Star-Crossed Lovers."

Karone rolled her eyes, taking another sip of water. "After the war ended, we decided to give it another chance. We still found each other attractive, and there wouldn't be any monsters getting in the way this time. But…" She shrugged. "It was different. Neither of us…"

She trailed off, remembering one of their dates. Something he had said had sent her into a flashback of her time as Astronema, and she had fought to pull herself from the memory. When she finally managed to push it away, she had found him staring at her with a look he had only given her when she had been Astronema.

"Zhane likes mystery in women. I think that's why he was more attracted to me as Astronema than as Karone. It wasn't the evil that lured him, but the obscurity. When I was Karone, I was much more of a known quantity, and I wasn't as interesting to him."

She looked back over at him. "I caught him staring at other women plenty of times. He was drawn to the unknown. Still, he was loyal to a fault, and he would have stayed with me, even though his heart wasn't in it anymore. But I…" She shrugged. "My heart wasn't in it anymore, either."

"Did he often remind you of your time as Astronema?"

She nodded, staring at her water. "Too often. But it wasn't just that. I wasn't extremely sure of myself, and I needed to… I still need to figure out who I really am before I get into a relationship."

Bulk leaned forward, studying her. "Your time on Terra Venture didn't show you that? You were worthy of becoming a power ranger. More than worthy. That could never have happened if you weren't a profoundly good person."

Her face warmed a little at his comment. "Thanks. But I don't mean just being good or evil. I mean… being Karone. I'm not a villain anymore, and I'm not a power ranger anymore, so who am I supposed to be now?"

His gaze fell to the bar as he considered her words.

"Ashley?" She looked up to see her brother approaching, looking uncertainly between her and Bulk.

"It's alright, Andros. He knows."

"Um…" Andros looked at Bulk, his expression remaining. "Okay." He looked back at Karone. "We're heading out. TJ has an idea."

Karone stood immediately, eager to finally be taking a step towards getting back her own body. "Great." She made to follow her brother, then stopped and turned back to Bulk. "Do you want to come with us?"

Bulk opened his mouth immediately, but then stopped before he said anything. He thought about it for a moment. "Actually, I should probably go and find Skull."

"Oh, okay. Well, thank you for listening."

Bulk pulled out a pen, scribbling something down on a napkin. "Hey, if you're available, come to this address at 7 PM tonight."

"Um, okay." She took the napkin. "See you later."

* * *

Eight rangers arrived at an apartment building in downtown Angel Grove. As they crowded into the elevator, Karone looked up, wondering who lived here. The hallway they exited into was dark, and paint was chipping from the walls, but TJ eagerly led them towards a door at the end.

The door was promptly opened by a man in a red shirt, with dark hair that was even longer than Andros's. He looked at the Terran rangers with a surprised smile. "Hey, guys."

Matching his smile, TJ turned to the others. "Rangers of KO-35 and Mirinoi, meet Tommy Oliver."


	5. Old Faces

**A/N: Hey all. So this is one of those chapters where I had no idea how long it was going to become when I started writing it. It is incredibly easy to get lost in Karone's thoughts and reflections, and you might find some rough editing and jerky transitions where things had to be cut because there is already so much here.**

**This chapter contains references to specific episodes from MMPR, Zeo, and LG, as well as IS episodes that have already been referenced. As before, it is not necessary to remember those episodes to enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Same as before.**

**Chapter 5: Old Faces**

Tommy's apartment was small, and seemed wholly dedicated to life as a ranger. A large, black punching bag hung in the corner, and a rack of dumbbells stood beside a full-length mirror. A treadmill next to the closet looked worn down from overuse.

The closet itself was open, and TJ peeked inside. "And here I thought you only ever wore red. But there's some white and green in there as well."

Tommy laughed. "Well, the green is pretty old by now, but some of it still fits. Kat says I look best in black, though." He glanced at a clock hanging on the wall above his desk. "She'll be here soon."

Cassie smiled. "Awesome. It feels like forever since I've seen her."

Karone walked over to the desk. A large book about dinosaurs sat on it. At the back of the desk were two pictures. In the first one, Tommy stood in red, with five others who were in different colors. In the second picture, a younger-looking Tommy stood in green, again with five others.

Andros came up beside Karone, looking at the pictures. "Were these your ranger teams?"

Tommy looked, and an expression of unmistakable nostalgia fell over his face. "Yeah. That's the original power ranger team, and the Zeo team."

"I remember meeting Adam." Andros pointed at the man who was in green in the newer picture. Karone also recognized him, having watched the encounter from the Dark Fortress.

"What happened to the wall here?" Zhane was standing in front of a part of the wall that looked a little uneven. The paint on one side looked newer than the paint on the other.

"Half the wall there was taken out in a monster attack. I honestly couldn't tell you which monster did that. There were a lot of them."

"You're pretty brave for taking a place downtown," said Carlos. "There's been a lot of action here."

"Well, that's what keeps the rent so cheap."

"When are you heading back to Boston?" TJ asked.

"Well, I was going on Saturday, but I can push that back if you need help with something. I get the feeling this is more than a social call."

"Yeah," TJ replied. He looked at Ashley.

"Karone and I switched bodies," said Ashley.

"Karone and…" Tommy frowned. "Who are you, then?"

"I'm Ashley."

"Oh." Tommy looked over at Karone. "So, you're Karone, then. Interesting."

"It's happened once before," TJ explained. "That was caused by a body-switching monster. This time, though, there doesn't seem to be any monster. You were a ranger for a long time, and we're hoping you might have seen something like this."

"Well, not this exact thing. But Rita, Zedd, and Master Vile were all able to cast spells on Earth from the Moon. Have you checked if there's anything in orbit?"

Andros nodded. "I checked. Nothing. And nothing's been happening on the Moon since Terra Venture used it for their training exercises."

"Huh." Tommy looked back and forth between Ashley and Karone, rubbing his chin.

The door of the apartment opened. "Hey, Tommy." The blonde woman from the newer picture entered, and looked around in surprise. "Quite the crowd in here. I told you this space wasn't big enough to host parties."

"Kat!" Cassie gave the woman a wide smile.

"Cassie!" The two women hugged. "What are you doing here? Hello, TJ, Carlos…" She looked at Karone. "Ashley."

"Hi, Kat. It's great to see you," said TJ. "And this is Zhane, Maya, Andros, and…" He trailed off, as if uncertain he wanted to add to the confusion just yet.

Karone decided to just do it. "I'm Karone." Kat frowned.

"And I'm Ashley," said Ashley. Kat raised her eyebrows, looking back and forth between the two.

"They switched bodies, somehow," said Tommy.

"Well, that's new. Hi, by the way."

He smiled. "Hi."

She crossed the room, placing her bag down beside his bed. Then she sat down on it, clearly at home in his apartment. "You heard Jason's news?"

He nodded. "He's thinking about proposing to Emily. I told him it felt like it was a little soon, but…" He shrugged. "She makes him happy."

"She does. I'm happy for him." Karone saw her brother glance briefly at TJ.

"Me too." Tommy looked over at the pictures on the desk again. "And an engagement party will be a good excuse for a reunion."

"That's true." Kat looked around at the others in the room. "So, Andros and Zhane, you're the Red and Silver Rangers."

"Yes," Andros replied.

"And…" Kat looked at Maya.

"I'm a yellow ranger from a different team."

"Another team. Okay. And are you also from KO-35?"

"No, I'm from Mirinoi."

"Mirinoi?"

"Another planet," Andros explained. "Much further away than KO-35 is."

"I see." Kat looked at Tommy. "Things just keep getting more interesting, don't they?"

"They sure do."

"And now… body-switching."

Tommy looked at TJ. "You said the first time it happened was because of a monster. Where did the monster come from?"

"I sent it," said Karone.

"That's right, you used to be Astronema," said Kat.

"More interesting again?"

"Oh no, that's a thing that happens. Tommy and I were both evil when we first met the rangers."

Karone raised her eyebrows, looking back and forth between the veteran rangers. "Really?"

"Yes. Granted, that was because of Rita's spells, but…" Kat shrugged. "I even had an evil cat-form."

Karone stared at her. An evil cat-form? That was new. Or, well, old. But it was definitely the kind of crazy thing that Rita would do.

"And you were also a cat-monster a couple of times," Tommy added.

"Yes, that too. Got to fight the megazord and everything."

Now all the current rangers were staring at her. "I never knew that story," said Cassie.

"Well, the old times were interesting, too," said Tommy. He savored the surprise on the current rangers' faces for a little while, then turned back to Karone. "If you sent the body-switching monster, where did you find it?"

"I met it on Onyx."

"Onyx?"

"It's a planet in Dark Specter's old empire," Andros explained. "Kind of a recreational hub for all sorts of monsters. Lots of bars, shops, entertainment. Kind of like Broad Street here in Angel Grove, but for monsters."

Tommy looked at Karone again. "What if you were to disguise yourself as Astronema and go back there? Maybe you can find out if any other body-switching monsters have been active lately."

Karone shook her head. "I've already done that. Trakeena outed me on Onyx, so they know the truth there now." She had never managed to find out how Trakeena learned the truth in the first place. She hadn't even known of Trakeena's existence until well after the war.

"I can go there in my usual disguise," said Andros.

Ashley gave him a look. "Oh, come on. That's only going to work so many times. I feel like you're in more danger every time you do that." She looked at Karone. "It's too much of a risk when we don't even know if we'll find anything there."

"I don't suppose you know the Body Switcher's homeworld?" TJ asked. Karone shook her head. "If we can find out where they come from, we can certainly find out if any others have been recruited lately by interstellar baddies."

"And how do we find that out?" asked Carlos. "Know any interstellar baddies that we can ask? Are there any who don't know that Astronema has switched sides?"

"None that I know of," said Karone.

"I don't suppose there's some giant space library somewhere that we could look in," Cassie muttered.

Karone raised her eyebrows. "As a matter of fact, there is. Ostaven."

"Ostaven?" Andros looked at her. "I've never heard of it."

"It's a planet I conquered years ago. Technically, I'm still the Queen there. I left a battalion of Quantrons, but the people there are peaceful and harmless. They built their city around this giant, ancient library, and they seem to worship it to some degree. I don't know, I never learned their language. And I couldn't read the language in the library, either, but Ecliptor stopped me from destroying it. He said that if anyone managed to translate the language, the knowledge in the library could prove useful to Dark Specter, and to me."

"Sounds like it may," said Cassie. "But now we need a translator."

"Perhaps the people of Ostaven have managed to learn the language in the library by now," said Maya.

Karone glanced at her. "But I don't know their language, either."

Maya shrugged. "People communicate with their feelings. If I can learn their hearts, I can learn their language. Just like with the Galactabeasts."

Karone stared at her.

"You know what? I think I have to see this," said Tommy. He glanced at Kat.

"Me too," said Kat, looking excited.

Tommy looked at Andros. "Do you mind if we come with you?"

"Not at all." Andros looked at Karone. "Do you have the coordinates for Ostaven?"

"I don't, but the computer from the Dark Fortress does." While much of the Dark Fortress had been retro-fitted into Terra Venture, the ship's computer was at NASADA.

"I'll contact the General," said TJ. He stepped outside of the apartment.

Ashley looked at Tommy. "Sounds like you won't be heading back to Boston on Saturday after all."

"No, I'll have to change my flight."

"I'm glad you're coming along, though. It will be nice to work with you guys again."

"Likewise."

Karone watched as Ashley spoke to Tommy, seeing the Terran's kind expression on her own face. Since this mission was sure to bring up more memories of Astronema, it might be refreshing to see Ashley be her do-gooder self in Karone's body. Karone could use the reminder of how good she could be.

'Profoundly good,' as Bulk had put it.

TJ reentered the apartment. "We can't go today. The Secretary of Defense is there, and the General doesn't want anyone from Washington seeing us and getting worked up over nothing."

In a flash, the kindness that Karone had been watching in her own face was gone. "Oh, please," said Ashley. "The government has been worked up over us for a year now."

"Still, he's got a point," said TJ. "We don't need to reopen old wounds."

"You say that like you're the one stuck in someone else's body." Ashley sighed and looked at Karone.

Karone shrugged. "It's okay. I can wait one more day if you can. I don't want to cause problems with your government."

"I assume you guys have heard the rumors about Mariner Bay?" Tommy asked.

"Yes," said Ashley, her voice now heavy with resignation. "Supposedly, they're building an underwater facility where they plan to train their own team of rangers. And all because we wouldn't agree to do their dirty work."

"It might not be dirty work," said Tommy. "Who knows? They might do some good."

"You trust our government with a ranger team?" Ashley gave a skeptical look.

"I trust power rangers. If the right people are chosen for the job, they'll do the right thing, even if the politicians suggest otherwise." Tommy glanced at Kat. "My concern is that they won't have the connection to the Morphing Grid that Zordon gave us. That gave us a lot of power, and protected us."

"Well, we were facing extraterrestrial threats," said Kat. "Hopefully, these rangers won't have to deal with that."

"They won't," said Andros. "That's what we're here for." He looked at Ashley, and she looked back. Karone watched the looks that passed between the two, frowning a little. She would ask her brother about that later.

"Well, it sounds like we're getting started tomorrow," said Tommy. "You guys are welcome to hang out here, of course."

"It's a little crowded in here," said TJ.

"That's true," said Kat. "We'll have the trip to Ostaven to catch up." She glanced at Tommy, then back at TJ. "We'll meet you tomorrow at NASADA, first thing."

TJ nodded. The current rangers bid farewell and left.

Outside, Maya leaned close to Karone. "What's wrong with the government here?"

Karone wasn't extremely familiar with the political system here, but she tried to explain based on what she had seen. "On Terra Venture, you saw only the best of Terran politics. Here, you get the best, the worst, and everything in between."

"You can say that again," said Carlos.

Cassie looked at Maya. "There are a lot of different nations on this planet, and they always compete with each other. Sometimes, that competition turns violent."

"Your villages fight against each other? Why?"

"There is thousands of years of complicated history involved in answering that," said TJ.

"On Mirinoi, the growth of our population periodically requires new villages to be built, but our villages would never compete against each other in anything but the friendliest of ways. We always know that we came from the same village originally. Your people had better not introduce this concept of 'nations' now that they are among us."

"I don't think they will," said Cassie. "I think they've learned from our mistakes."

* * *

The address that Bulk had written down on the napkin was for a theater on Broad Street. Karone stood outside of it, fiddling with the clothing Ashley had chosen for her. Ashley had insisted that she wear the Date Jacket, despite the fact that this wasn't a date. Now, however, as she watched the people entering the theater in Terran formalwear, she felt underdressed.

"Karone?" She looked up to see Bulk standing there, also in formal attire. It was a very different look from anything she had seen him in before.

"Hi." She looked around anxiously. "I didn't know how I was supposed to dress."

"It's fine. You look great."

"Technically, you're complimenting Ashley's appearance, not mine."

Bulk chuckled as he came up beside her. "You wear it well. Shall we?" He held out his arm, crooking his elbow towards her.

"Sure." Karone stuck her arm through his, and they entered the theater. As they sat down, Karone looked at the stage. A grand piano sat in the center.

The people around them were talking quietly as they waited for the show to begin. An elderly couple sat down beside Karone. The woman took in Karone's appearance out of the corner of her eye. Her expression suggested that she didn't approve, but Karone didn't care. If Bulk said that her attire was fine, she trusted his judgment more than the judgment of some stranger.

A man in a silver suit appeared on the side of the stage, and approached the piano. The audience applauded, but Karone was stunned to see that the man was Skull. He sat down at the piano and waited for the applause to die down, then began to play.

Karone listened with amazement. Given Skull's antics earlier, she wouldn't have guessed him capable of playing a musical instrument with such talent. His hands moved with a dexterity that suggested his earlier fumbling with the umbrella had been at least partially an act, the same way that Bulk had been acting childishly with him.

She looked at Bulk. Her companion had an expression of pride on his face as he watched his friend.

Ecliptor had some appreciation for human sophistication, but that appreciation had never included the arts. Karone had only rarely been exposed to any kind of music, generally on planets she was attacking, and she had never derived any enjoyment from hearing it. On Earth and Terra Venture, however, she had begun to learn to enjoy the arts that the Terrans had produced over the course of thousands of years of cultural development.

The Terrans had many different kinds of music, and she liked some better than others. She decided that she liked it best, however, when she knew the person who was performing the music, as was the case now.

Skull played several pieces, and Karone applauded vigorously after each one. When the performance was over, she joined Bulk in immediately standing for an ovation, and several other members of the audience joined as well.

"Come on." Bulk gently tugged on her arm. While the rest of the audience made for the exit, she followed him towards the stage.

Skull saw Bulk and waved enthusiastically. Then his wave faltered when he saw Karone following, and he looked at her in surprise. Hopping down from the stage, he acknowledged the compliments of a few other lingering members of the audience, then made his way towards them.

"That was fantastic, pal," said Bulk, pulling Skull into a hug.

"Thanks, Bulky," said Skull, still looking at Karone.

"That was really impressive, Skull," said Karone.

"Um, thanks, Ashley."

Bulk and Karone shared a glance. Then Bulk clapped Skull on the shoulder. "What do you say we go and celebrate? There are some things to discuss."

"Sounds good to me," Skull replied, glancing uncertainly at Karone again.

They left the theater and walked down Broad Street. People were out and about, enjoying the warm summer evening. As she walked among them, she appreciated her ability to do so. She had never been able to join the crowds as Astronema, not that she had much desire to do so.

The cinema came into view, and she recalled hiding in the alley beside it and watching as Zhane emerged. That was where she had disguised herself to look like a normal human. She had emerged and stealthily taken some Terran's belongings, then walked through the crowd and intentionally bumped into Zhane, dropping said belongings.

She stared at the spot where the encounter happened. Zhane got to meet Karone that day, not that anyone knew it at the time.

"Ashley?"

She looked over at Skull. She had stopped walking without realizing it, and now Bulk and Skull were looking back at her. She quickly caught up with them.

"You okay?" Bulk asked quietly as she caught up with them.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got lost in a memory for a moment." She realized that, technically, she was now in disguise among the crowds once again, this time as Ashley.

Skull had a confused look on his face, but for the moment, he didn't ask the question. "Hey, what do you say we go into Mickey's?"

"Sure, whatever you want, pal. It's your night."

They turned and entered a restaurant. Karone looked around, realizing that she had been here before. She had come here with Zhane, and she recalled that neither of them had particularly like the meals that they had ordered.

They were taken to a table for three, and Bulk and Skull each removed their suit jackets and placed them on the backs of their chairs. Karone sat down, quickly scanning the menu and trying to remember which options she and Zhane had selected, so she would know to avoid them.

"Try the burgers," said Bulk as he and Skull sat down. "They're to die for."

"Bulk, I'm sure she's been here before," said Skull. "This place has been around forever." He glanced uncertainly at Karone again.

"Just once, actually," Karone replied. "And I'm certainly open to trying something different from what I had last time."

Skull's brows knit together as he stared at her. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, however, an elderly man came up behind him and clapped him on the shoulder. "Skully!"

Skull turned. "Hey, Mickey."

The man looked at Bulk. "And Mr. Bulkmeier. Man, I haven't seen you in forever."

"Well, I was away for a long time."

"Hey, I get it, man. Welcome back."

"Thanks."

The man turned back to Skull. "Skully, I'm real sorry I missed the big show tonight. Business is business, you know?"

"I know, Mickey. It's not a problem."

"You made the right choice coming here to celebrate it, though. I'll set you up nicely." The man then looked at Karone, as if noticing her there for the first time. "And I'll be darned if you haven't brought a power ranger into our midst. Look out, boys. Don't do anything to piss her off."

Karone's eyes widened at the comment. The power rangers would never lose their tempers at civilians.

"I'm just kidding," said the man. "I appreciate everything you do. See that, there?" He pointed towards the front of the restaurant, and Karone noticed what appeared to be a large scar in the wall. "Some monster put a gash in the wall big enough for Bulky here to fit through. Cost me a pretty penny to get it fixed. I ain't painting over that, though. I wear it as a badge of pride. I'm still doing business, and that's because the rangers took that monster down before it could do any more damage."

Karone stared at the wound in the wall, not knowing what to say. She certainly hadn't been one of the rangers that had fought the monster, but she might well have been the person who sent it.

"Let me get you three burgers, on the house," said Mickey. "I'll be right back." He walked away, and Karone looked back at Bulk and Skull.

"Same old Mickey," said Bulk.

"That man will never change," Skull replied. "And thank goodness for that." He gave a brief, high-pitched laugh, then looked at Karone. "By the way, Ashley… Um, I'm flattered that you came to my performance tonight. But…"

Karone leaned back, waiting for him to articulate the question.

"Something seems very different about you."

She raised her eyebrows, feigning offense. "Really? How so?" Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a look of amusement cross Bulk's face as he realized what she was doing, but she restrained her own smile.

"Um, you're… Well, you're…" Skull struggled. "For starters, you're here with us, and not… with Andros."

Now Karone allowed herself to smile. "And am I always supposed to be with Andros?"

"No, no, of course not. I didn't mean… I mean, of course you're an independent… You're an independent woman. I just… I mean…"

Karone fought increasingly hard to hold back her laughter. Bulk was quietly laughing into his hand.

"Just… Why are you here with us tonight? I mean, you never hang out with us."

Karone briefly debated whether or not to stay in character, and decided to keep the game going. "Well, why not? I can spend time with whomever I want."

"I know. Of course. But… why would you want to spend time with us?"

"Are you saying you're not worth my time?"

"No, I… Well, you could be spending time with your boyfriend and the other rangers."

Karone shrugged. "Change is good from time to time."

Skull made a face, and looked at Bulk. Seeing Bulk's laughter, his expression changed. Karone watched as he slowly realized that something else was going on, and the original confusion returned to his face. "Okay, what's going on?"

Bulk removed his hand, and the last bit of laughter rang free. "She's not Ashley, pal."

"Huh?" Skull gave Karone his most bewildered look yet.

"She's Karone. She and Ashley got body-swapped."

"Karone?" Skull's face transformed once again. "Karone? You mean… Astron—" He quickly looked around, then lowered his voice. "Astronema?"

A little of Karone's amusement died. "Just Karone."

Skull stared at her with wide eyes. "But, you're… Why are you…" He looked at Bulk again.

"I figured she'd enjoy your performance," said Bulk.

"And I did," Karone added.

Skull's gaze darted back and forth between the two, stopping on Bulk again. "Since when are you friends with Ast… Karone?"

"Since Terra Venture," Bulk replied with a shrug, his tone providing a sharp contrast with Skull's bewilderment.

Skull looked back and forth between them again, and this time his gaze stopped on Karone. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.

Karone waited for him to say something.

Just as Skull opened his mouth again, however, Mickey returned with three plates and three drinks. Each plate had a burger paired with fries. As he set one of the plates down in front of Karone, she looked at the burger. It looked large and tasty and not particularly healthy. Terran food in a nutshell.

"Thanks, Mickey," said Bulk. "It looks as delicious as ever."

"You're welcome. Enjoy." Mickey walked away again.

Bulk immediately took a large bite. Karone watched as Skull now stared at his burger, clearly still processing what he had just been told. After a few seconds, he picked up the burger and started eating, apparently deciding not to say anything for the moment.

Karone started eating as well. The burger was indeed tasty, but she decided that she wouldn't eat any more than half of it. Ashley wouldn't appreciate Karone harming her body through bad eating.

* * *

The food and drink seemed to put both Bulk and Skull in a jovial mood. Skull's confusion seemed pushed aside for the time being as he and Bulk leaned back and loosened their ties, discussing the music he had played in the performance. Despite her limited knowledge of Terran music, Karone did her best to join the conversation, enjoying the lighter atmosphere at the table.

Now, the two men were casually walking further down Broad Street, holding their jackets over their shoulders. Karone alternated between keeping to their pace and walking a little ahead of them. She felt a little bit giddy, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Spending time with these two felt entirely different from spending time with the rangers, both on Earth and on Terra Venture.

"Now that was a good burger," said Bulk, patting his large frame.

Skull smiled and nodded, looking around. Karone watched as his gaze roamed over everything and everyone, never stopping on anything in particular the way Karone's often did. It was all familiar to him, while much of it was still foreign to her.

They reached the end of the commercial district and entered the park. The sounds of late-night commerce and recreation were replaced by the calmness of nature, and the gentle dark green filled their surroundings.

"Man, what a night," said Bulk.

"You're not wrong, Bulky," Skull replied, looking up at the sky.

Karone did the same. More stars were slowly becoming visible as they walked further from the lights of Broad Street. Looking up at the stars felt decidedly different from flying among them, but there was something nice about it. She could pretend that the vastness of space was as foreign to her as it was to Skull, and forget about the conflicts that she knew were raging in places he could never imagine. From here, everything up there looked incredibly peaceful and beautiful.

They reached the picnic tables where the rangers celebrated Ashley's seventeenth birthday. Karone looked over at the bush she had hidden behind the first time she had been in Ashley's body, waiting for the moment when she could switch places with her counterpart.

At the time, she had not cared at all for the rangers' celebration. Now, however, she walked over to the tables and sat down, right where Ashley had been sitting. She shut her eyes, a feeling of satisfaction swelling within her. Now she could partake in their celebrations, and share in their joys. No more hiding behind bushes.

Bulk and Skull watched her and blinked, then followed. Skull sat down at the far end of the bench Karone had taken, while Bulk decided to lie down atop the next table over, causing it to creak.

"This is nice," he muttered, shutting his eyes. "I'm really glad to be back home."

"Me too, Bulky," Skull replied quietly. He looked over at Karone. She returned the look, watching his expression. He still looked uncertain, but it wasn't the outright confusion of before.

Bulk seemed to quickly fade from consciousness as he lay on the table. His breathing slowed, and soon he began to snore. Karone found herself chuckling, and Skull chuckled along with her. They exchanged a look.

"Now we're going to have to get him home somehow," said Skull.

"I'm not carrying him," said Karone, causing herself to laugh even more at the absurd mental image of Skull attempting to carry Bulk.

"Yeah, me neither." Skull watched her laugh. "It is so weird seeing you laugh like that."

She looked at him, her laughter dying down. "Why?"

"You… I mean you're…" He shrugged, looking away from her. "You were Astronema."

"I was Astronema. I'm not anymore."

He looked back at her. There were a thousand questions in his eyes, but he wasn't asking them. "It takes getting used to."

"You're telling me."

"And now you're in Ashley's body, which makes things even weirder."

"Yeah."

He leaned forward, looking down. She waited, beginning to feel a little impatient for the questions to come. "You were on Terra Venture."

"Yes."

He fell quiet again, forcing her to wait more. This seemed difficult for him, and she didn't understand why. "I was supposed to be there too, you know. I had a ticket for the last shuttle, the same one that Bulk was on. But I… I overslept." He gave a brief, high-pitched laugh.

Karone raised her eyebrows. From the way he said it, she got the feeling that wasn't the whole story. "You overslept?"

"I… yeah." He looked over at her, seeing her expression. "I mean, I did oversleep, but I suppose I… I probably still could have… made it."

"Then why didn't you?"

He stared straight ahead, looking at nothing. After a few seconds, he gave a small shrug.

Karone waited.

Finally, Skull looked over at Bulk. "Bulk's the leader," he said quietly. "He's the adventurous one, the one coming up with ideas and guiding me into them. Me? I'm just…" He gave another shrug. "I'm just content. I like things being how they are. I don't… I didn't feel the need to go somewhere else."

She watched him, beginning to understand his reactions over the course of the day. "You want to live your whole life in Angel Grove?"

He shrugged again, leaning back and looking around. "Why not? It's where my life is."

"You know there are hundreds of other cities to explore on your planet. Never mind the thousands of other worlds waiting above your head."

He shrugged yet again. "Like I said, Bulk is the adventurous one."

She watched him for a few seconds. "Don't you want things to change? I mean, don't you wonder what more you could have in your life?"

"Not really." He looked away. "Change is… hard." After a second, he looked back at her. "I mean, I guess you've been through a major change, but…"

"More than one."

"It's not easy. It's…" He looked away again. "It's not what I want."

She wasn't entirely convinced, but she let it be. Now she understood why he wasn't asking all of the questions in his eyes. Perhaps he didn't want to know the answers. He didn't want any more changes to his world. "So, I suppose you don't want me here, either."

"Huh?" He looked back at her.

"After all, I'm a change, intruding on your evening with Bulk. And like you said, I was once someone very different. I suppose I'll go." She began to get up.

"No, wait."

She stopped, smiling. Not that she would have left him to deal with the sleeping Bulk on his own.

"It's not… It's not bad that you're here. I mean…" He struggled.

"So, I'm a good change."

"I… I mean… yeah."

She settled back down, looking around. "I'll say this. You grew up in a nice place."

"Yeah." Skull smiled, looking around.

"I apologize for trying to destroy it a few times."

Skull laughed. "Apology accepted, I guess."

Bulk gave a particularly loud snore, and they both laughed.

"So, how did you learn to play piano that well?"

Skull gave a small shrug. "I suppose it's the one thing I've always been good at. I took lessons when I was little. A lot of lessons. I enjoyed it."

Karone gazed at nothing, reflecting on her own training. She couldn't imagine training in a musical instrument to be as rigorous as training in combat or sorcery, but she also couldn't imagine it to be enjoyable. Her training sessions had never been her favorite activities, but that was by design. She was taught to channel her resentment and impatience into more powerful negative emotions, such as anger, which was helpful for combat and necessary for sorcery.

"Karone?"

She snapped back to the present. "Sorry," she said quietly.

He watched her for a moment. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"To remember being someone so different from who you are now."

She looked down. She wasn't delighted by the question, even though she was pleased that he was finally asking one. "It's… It's just memories. I mean, it was me, but… Sometimes it feels like they're less my own memories, and more visions of her living the life that she lived. As though she were someone else entirely." She looked back over at the bush, imagining Astronema, disguised as Ashley, peering out from behind it, watching them and waiting for her opportunity. "Sometimes I prefer it that way."

Skull nodded, looking thoughtful. Bulk stirred and shifted in his sleep, and for a moment, it looked like he might roll right off the table. "We should probably wake him up before he falls off that thing."

"Yeah." Karone stood, walking over to Bulk. She gently shoved his arm, but nothing happened. "Bulk?" He only snored in response.

Skull took a leaf from a branch that was lying on the ground nearby and came up on the other side of Bulk, brushing the leaf back and forth across Bulk's nose. He withdrew the leaf as Bulk rubbed his nose. "Hey, Bulky." When Bulk apparently stayed asleep, Skull tried his forehead. Again, Bulk rubbed the spot, but didn't awaken.

Karone suddenly got an idea that was probably a bad one. She leaned down close to Bulk's ear, bringing her teeth together. "Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz."

She quickly moved out of the way as Bulk's hand came swinging around. He struck himself in the ear, and his eyes snapped open. Skull laughed, and Karone laughed as well, though she felt a little bad.

Bulk looked at Skull. Then he frowned, realizing that his friend was on the wrong side of him to have been the culprit. His gaze shifted over to Karone, and lingered on her. "Really?"

"Sorry," Karone managed, though she didn't stop laughing.

Bulk gave a frustrated look and sat up. "How long was I out?"

"Just a little while," said Skull. "Let's get you home, big fella."

* * *

Karone saw Bulk and Skull into a taxi, but decided to walk back to Ashley's. She detoured back up Broad Street, looking at the people and places she passed.

This was the world that Skull cherished, and it felt extremely… domestic. It was foreign to her, to be sure, but imagining it through his eyes, or even through Ashley's, it felt extremely normal. She couldn't understand Skull's desire to remain cocooned here all his life.

A group of teenagers she passed laughed at some unknown joke. She briefly wondered what the joke was, but quickly decided that it hardly mattered. It was a joke shared among friends, just as occurred among friends in most of the cities in the universe. It was as foreign to her as the rest, but for them, it was all perfectly normal.

As she passed the cinema again, she thought about the rangers. They were her friends, and she had shared some jokes with them, though certainly not as many as they had shared together when she was not around. She hoped that perhaps she would be able to spend more time with them once the present body-swapping mystery was solved, but she didn't feel like she needed it to happen.

Turning off Broad Street, she entered the residential neighborhood. She looked up, watching as the stars slowly became visible once more. She suddenly felt eager to return to space, and to the conflicts and mysteries that the people here knew nothing about. A naïve, Earth-bound life was nice for an evening, but it wasn't her. Tomorrow, she would be setting out for Ostaven, retreading routes she had once flown as Astronema.

She felt a little anxious about journeying through those memories. But really, it couldn't come soon enough.


	6. Old Foes, Part 1

**A/N: Hey all. This is another long chapter, so I figured I'd split it in two and get this part up in time for Halloween. For those of you who have been eager for the action to get started, here you go. Combat choreography is unsurprisingly difficult to write into a story, but it's also fun.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Same as before.**

**Chapter 6: Old Foes, Part 1**

"The Z-Ship?" Karone looked up at the ship that they would be taking to Ostaven.

Andros shrugged. "Zhane was the one who went and retrieved the ship from the spaceport on KO-35. So, he's the one listed in the official record as the captain. Ergo, he gets to name it."

"And you're letting him call it the Z-Ship?"

"It's his choice. And it's not worth the dispute."

"Says you." Karone sighed, and they continued loading supplies onto the ship.

"What's in a name?" Carlos asked as he passed them, carrying a crate.

"Huh?" Karone stared at him. What a bizarre question.

"It's a Terran cultural reference," said Andros. "By a very popular writer named Shakespeare."

"Shake-spear? Sounds like a bad monster name."

Carlos nearly dropped his crate. "You did not just say that."

"The point is, a name is just a collection of letters that we use to label something," said Andros. "It doesn't reflect on what's inside. I can't believe this has even become this much of a conversation." He shook his head, looking over at where TJ, Zhane, and Maya were approaching from the NASADA facility with General Norquist.

"If that's the case, I'm going to start calling you poga-hair," said Karone. Pogas were slow, striped creatures used for livestock on the planet Tepior.

"Really?" Andros gave her a look, as Carlos laughed.

"What? It's just a collection of letters, right?"

"Now, now, children, don't fight," said Zhane. He held up a disc for the D.E.C.A. unit on his ship. "We've got the coordinates and data for Ostaven."

"Rangers, you are cleared to take off whenever you are ready," said General Norquist. "I wish you the best of luck on your mission."

"Thank you, General," said Andros. The General saluted and turned, returning to the facility.

"Where are Ashley and Cassie?" Carlos asked.

"Ashley's getting changed."

"Changed into what? We always wear the same thing in space."

Zhane smiled. "You'll see." He winked at Karone, causing her to frown.

TJ looked at Andros. "I told her it wasn't a good idea."

Andros shrugged. "You know Ashley. When she's got an idea in her head…"

"I know, you'll support her no matter what."

Andros frowned. "Of course. We all will."

"What idea?" Karone asked her brother.

Andros hesitated.

"Come on, let's finish getting these supplies loaded," said Zhane. The rangers promptly went back to work, as Karone frowned at her brother.

They were just about done by the time Tommy and Kat arrived. "Hey, guys. Sorry we're late."

TJ and Carlos greeted their friends, quickly bringing them up to date, and the veteran rangers helped carry the last supplies onto the ship.

After making sure everything was in place, Karone reemerged from the ship to find Cassie and Zhane standing with… Astronema. She groaned. "Really?"

Ashley grinned. "You said you're still technically the Queen of Ostaven. I think we should remind your subjects of that." Her expression and tone matched the disguise, as did her posture as she brushed stray strands of the magenta wig aside.

Karone winced. It sounded like a bad idea, and not just because she was now standing face-to-face with her past once again.

"I told you it was a bad idea," said TJ, coming up beside Karone.

"Oh, let her have her fun," said Zhane, approaching them. "She doesn't exactly get to disguise herself as Astronema regularly." He glanced at Karone, and she frowned at him.

Speaking of the disguise… "Where did you get the outfit?" She had left her Astronema outfit behind on Terra Venture, and didn't know whether it survived the crash. Personally, she hoped it didn't.

"From a costume store," said Ashley. "They're going to be all the rage come Halloween."

Karone's mouth fell open. The idea of Terrans dressing up as Astronema for Halloween was horrifying. Halloween itself was one Terran tradition that Karone abhorred. Most Terrans had no idea what monsters were really like.

"This, though, is the real thing." Ashley raised the Wrath Staff, and Karone stared at it. She hadn't brought it with her to Onyx. She didn't even know where Andros had stored it, and didn't want to know. And it was probably for the best, as she could no longer use it anyway, and it would have been a burden during the sword-fight with Villamax.

Maya appeared on the far side of TJ, smiling at Ashley. "You look good, Ashley. Although…" She looked at Karone, and her smile faded. Karone could tell she was sensing her discomfort with the disguise.

Ashley sighed, approaching Karone. "Relax. It's just for the trip." She placed a gloved hand on Karone's shoulder, and Karone found herself getting goosebumps on said shoulder.

Cassie remained back where she had been standing, and Ashley looked back at her. "You coming?"

Cassie hesitated. "Um, no."

Everyone looked at her.

"Look, I… Scott and I are going to spend Saturday together, and I… I really don't want to cancel on him again."

TJ smiled. "Go ahead. We'll manage without you."

Cassie nodded. She took a step backwards, then paused. Jogging over to Maya, she took off her morpher. "Here, take this."

"Your morpher?"

"Since you don't have your Quasar Saber, you can use this. Just in case."

Maya looked down at the morpher. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Cassie looked at the group. "Best of luck, rangers."

"Thanks. Best of luck with Scott," Ashley replied, adding a wink that looked like an almost sinister gesture on Astronema's face.

Cassie smiled and jogged back towards the facility. The others entered the ship, shutting the door.

Andros was on the bridge. He frowned when Ashley entered, looking her up and down. "Hi."

"Hi." She walked over to him, and they spoke quietly.

"Let me get D.E.C.A. booted up, and then we'll be good to go," said Zhane, walking over to the main computer.

Maya and T.J. remained alongside Karone. Maya looked back and forth between Karone and Ashley. "Like she said, it's just for the trip."

Karone sighed. "I know. I just don't think it's a good idea."

"She feels a curiosity. She wants to know what it is like to be…"

"An evil queen?"

TJ looked at Maya. "I'm not sure you should so regularly go prying into people's emotions like that."

"It's not something I can just turn off. Believe me, there have been many times when I would have if I could."

"I understand, but… Ashley's private thoughts are her own."

Maya nodded. "Alright."

Tommy and Kat entered the bridge, looking around. "This place is really cool," said Kat.

"And it's about to get cooler," said Zhane. "Good morning, D.E.C.A."

"Good morning, Zhane," D.E.C.A. replied. "Hello, rangers."

Karone saw a solemn look fall over her brother's face. Ashley noticed it, too, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Andros nodded. "Yeah. I'm just…" He looked at Zhane. "Why don't we use a different voice for this trip?"

"Alright." Zhane looked down at the screen. "D.E.C.A., switch to voice… Let's go with voice V-16."

"Command acknowledged." There was a momentary pause. "Is this better, Andros?" The voice was deeper, the gender less identifiable.

"Yes," Andros replied. "Thank you."

"I didn't know that D.E.C.A. units could do that," said Karone.

"They have access to all of the voices stored in the database at the spaceport," said Andros. "There are quite a few options."

"That's really cool," said Tommy.

"I told you," said Zhane. He inserted the disc with the data from NASADA. "D.E.C.A., I am providing you with information on the planet Ostaven, our destination. Why don't you get us up into orbit while it uploads?"

"Right away, Zhane." The ship rumbled and hummed, and Tommy and Kat both grabbed onto the nearest desk. They looked down as the ship began rising into the air. "Artificial gravity activated." With the artificial gravity turned on, Karone barely felt the ship tilt up towards the sky, carrying them through the Terran atmosphere.

Carlos entered the bridge. "That engine is a thing of beauty." He paused when he saw Ashley.

"Isn't it?" said Zhane.

Carlos looked at Ashley, then at Karone. Not saying anything, he sat down at one of the side computers.

"Optimal orbital trajectory determined. Adjusting thrusters." Moments later, Karone felt the ship decelerate. "Optimal orbital trajectory acquired."

"Excellent. Pull up the information on Ostaven," said Zhane.

The screen came to life, showing an image of a planet mostly covered in ocean. "Coordinates found. Shall I set a course?"

"Go ahead."

Karone stared at the planet on the screen, recalling the last time she had seen it. Those same goosebumps she had felt on her shoulder before rose again.

"It looks like the planet is mostly covered in water," said Andros. "Even moreso than Earth."

Karone nodded. "There's only one continent. The people there live on the coast. They're amphibious beings, living part of their lives within the water and part outside of it."

"Sounds like the people of Aquitar," said Tommy.

"In some ways." Karone walked over to the screen. "D.E.C.A., zoom in on the ancient library."

D.E.C.A. complied, and soon, the screen showed an enormous building of gold and emerald. The smaller, green structures of the Ostavenian city surrounded it.

"The library and the surrounding city are located on the eastern coast of the continent, near the planet's equator. There are only a few scattered villages across the rest of the continent, as almost all of the people stay close to the library. My quantrons are garrisoned to the south, where they can keep an eye on things."

"Your quantrons may have been wiped out in the Zordon Wave," said Andros.

"Perhaps. Still, the garrison would be the best place to land if we're… trying Ashley's approach."

"Optimal course to Ostaven set," said D.E.C.A.

"Then let's go," said Zhane.

* * *

While Andros and Zhane gave Tommy and Kat a tour of the ship, the others unpacked. Karone was once again sharing a room with Maya. "This reminds me of Terra Venture," said Maya.

"Yeah." Karone smiled as memories from Terra Venture came to mind. "The others are probably wondering about us."

"Most likely." Maya's face fell. "There's nothing we can do about that right now."

"Well, we could send a transmission, but it would take a long time to reach them. You might even be home by then."

"I might? You mean, we might be home by then."

Karone hesitated.

Maya looked at her. "You don't wish to return to Mirinoi?"

"I don't know where I want to go."

Maya studied her for several seconds. Then she went back to unpacking, not saying anything.

"I'm sorry. But Mirinoi never felt like home for me."

"I know. I knew the whole time. I just… I hoped that would change eventually."

"I'm sorry," Karone repeated.

They finished unpacking in silence, then went to the mess hall. TJ and Carlos were already there, and the women joined them. "What's for lunch?" Maya asked.

"Whatever you like," Carlos replied. "The synthetron is fully stocked." He nodded over to the device.

"Really? That's a first." Maya walked over to the machine. "We hardly ever got supplies for the one on the Megaship. With Kai, we didn't really need it." She scrolled the menu, perusing her options. "What is a niral?"

"It's a fruit native to KO-35," said Karone. "Kind of like a lemon, but not quite as sour."

"The options from Earth will be fresher," said TJ. "We just stocked them."

Maya nodded, making a selection, then returned to the table.

"And this is where we eat." Zhane and Andros entered the room, leading Tommy and Kat. They waved at the seated rangers. "The synthetron there is capable of producing whatever food you select."

"Really?" Kat looked at the machine. "All your food is prepared automatically?"

"Unless one of us decides to cook, which never really happens," Zhane replied.

"All we have to do is provide supplies," said TJ. "We can restock it on Earth and on KO-35."

"Sounds like you guys are a little spoiled by technology."

Zhane chuckled. "I guess you could say that." He and Andros joined the others at the table, and the veteran rangers followed suit. Karone watched as Andros and Tommy sat down side-by-side, with their long hair and red shirts.

"It's like seeing double," said TJ, looking back and forth between Andros and Tommy. The two looked at each other.

"The long hair must be a red ranger thing," said Kat.

"Hey, I was a red ranger too, and you won't see any long hair on my beautiful head." TJ ran his hand over the top of his head.

Karone laughed. She couldn't envision Leo with long hair, either. "Oh, that reminds me. Zhane, guess who the Red Galaxy Ranger is."

Maya raised her eyebrows. "Leo? What about him?"

"Leo Corbett," said Karone.

Zhane frowned. "That punk from the club that night?" Karone nodded.

"Punk?" Andros looked at him. "He seemed like a nice guy on Terra Venture."

"Karone and I met him at a club one night last year, before Terra Venture left. He was… a little too insistent with her."

"He's changed," said Karone. "Being a ranger has been good for him." She had been quite surprised upon finding out the identity of the red ranger on Gwinnet. She had even toyed with him a little bit early on, but it had quickly become apparent that he was a different person from the man who had approached her in the club on Earth.

"Leo has been through a lot," said Maya. "He thought he lost his brother the day Terra Venture set out. Then he became the red ranger in Mike's place. It changed him. Perhaps he was a little frivolous early on, but he grew up."

"Being a ranger means carrying a lot of responsibility," said Tommy. "I'm glad he was able to rise to the occasion."

"Hey, where's Ashley?" Kat looked around.

"She might still be setting up her room," Andros replied. Since Cassie wasn't coming along, Ashley had their room to herself for the trip.

"Did you show them the SimuDeck yet?" Carlos asked.

"The what?" Tommy asked, answering the question.

"Not yet," Zhane replied. "We'll check that out next."

* * *

Karone watched as Tommy and Kat battled simulated quantrons, getting their first taste of the SimuDeck. Tommy seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, as he showed off some martial arts skills that Karone had never seen any other rangers manage when unmorphed. He kicked a quantron hard in the chest, then leapt in the air and spun around, swinging outward in another kick that struck the quantron hard in the face before he landed. The quantron crashed to the floor, disappearing.

Ashley entered the room, still wearing the Astronema costume and carrying the Wrath Staff. She watched the veteran rangers battle, her expression unreadable.

Tommy and Kat finished off the last of the quantrons, and the simulation faded. "That's pretty awesome," said Tommy.

"Isn't it?" Carlos replied.

Zhane looked over at Karone and Maya. "You girls want a try?"

"Sure," said Maya, approaching him. Karone followed her lead.

"Alright, show us how the Galaxy Rangers do it," said TJ. He turned to the machine. "Let's go with craterites this time."

He activated the machine, and the room filled with purple, humanoid creatures. Karone and Maya went to work, taking them down quickly.

As she battled, Karone saw Ashley slowly pace along the edge of the room in the background. The emotionless look on her face made Karone decidedly uncomfortable. She lost focus for a moment, and a craterite landed a hard kick to her ribs. She grunted, surprised that the simulation could hit so hard.

When the battle was over, she walked off the floor, not looking in Ashley's direction. Andros gave her a concerned look. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"That was fun," said Maya. "A good start to a workout." She walked off the floor, and Karone caught Zhane watching her.

Abruptly, Ashley walked into the center of the room. "I'd like a go."

"While you're wearing that?" TJ asked.

"Yes."

"Alright." TJ activated the machine again, and Ashley was surrounded by craterites.

She began battling in earnest, swinging the Wrath Staff around and using it to propel her kicks. Karone watched her, feeling like she was watching her own past. Goosebumps began rising on her skin again.

Ashley swung the staff around again, striking several craterites and sending them to the ground hard. She quickly turned and kicked one that had been coming up behind her, then leapt forward, swinging the staff before her and striking the craterites furthest away. When all of the craterites were down, she looked around sharply, seeking further enemies.

"Nicely done," said TJ, turning off the machine.

Ashley slowly stood straight, still looking like she sought more of a fight. "Thanks." Then she walked out of the room.

Maya leaned close to Karone. "Something's wrong," she whispered.

"No kidding," Karone replied quietly.

* * *

Later on, when Karone and Maya returned to the mess hall for dinner, Ashley was once again the only one missing. "Where's the Queen of Evil?" Karone asked.

TJ shrugged. "I guess she's not hungry." But she could see some concern on his face.

She looked at her brother, who was sitting silently, looking lost in thought.

By the time everyone had finished eating, Ashley still hadn't appeared, and Karone had run out of patience. She stood. "Andros, can I talk to you?" He didn't seem to hear her, and she walked over, tugging on his shoulder. "Wake up, big brother." He looked up at her. "I need to talk to you."

She tugged again, and he quickly got up, following her out of the room. "Let go," he muttered. She did, and he kept following her until they were well away from the mess hall.

Finally, she turned to him. "What's wrong with Ashley?"

"What do you mean?" His ignorance was unconvincing.

"She's acting like me. Like Astronema."

"She's just getting in character."

"She's getting way too much in character. And this is a bad idea to begin with. You know it. The Ostavenians will be far more willing to help us if we approach them as friends rather than as foes."

Andros looked down, not saying anything.

"Look, I know you love her, but something is wrong. And I can tell that you know it too. You don't like seeing her act like Astronema any more than I do. Just talk to her, and see what's going on."

Andros sighed. "Okay. I'll talk to her."

"Thank you."

* * *

Andros stood outside of Ashley's door, hesitating. Karone was right, of course. Ashley's behavior was strange, and her idea about approaching the Ostavenians as Astronema… Well, she'd had much better ideas before.

Still, he hesitated. He didn't know how hard he could push her on this, nor how hard he was willing to.

Finally, he knocked. "Come in." He opened the door, revealing Ashley sitting on her bed, staring at her morpher. The Wrath Staff lay across her legs.

He stared at her for a moment. It was indeed like seeing Astronema, and he knew that it must have been uncomfortable for Karone. Still, it was Ashley under there.

"What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am." Her eyes remained fixed on her morpher.

"Why don't you come have dinner?"

She shrugged. "I'm not hungry."

The fact that she wasn't looking at him bothered him. He stepped further into the room. "Ashley, I think maybe you should put a pause on this whole Astronema role-play thing."

"Why?"

"Because you're acting strange. Too strange."

She shrugged, one hand falling to the Wrath Staff. "Relax, Andros. It's just an act."

"Then stop it for a bit. Just be Ashley for a moment. Please." He sighed. "At least look at me, Ash." He reached forward to gently lift her chin.

In a flash, the Wrath Staff was rising, knocking his hand away. She finally looked at him. "Don't touch me."

He stepped away from her, taken aback.

She stood, dropping her morpher on her bed. "I want to fight you."

"You what?"

"I want to battle you. Morph."

"Ashley…" He stared at her.

"I said morph. Now."

"Ashley, knock it off. This isn't you." She swung the staff, forcing him to duck. "Cut it out."

She swung lower this time, knocking his legs out from under him. He went down, breaking his fall on the hard floor. She pointed the staff at him. "Morph."

He kicked upward, knocking the staff aside, and quickly got back to his feet. "Let's rocket!" She swung again, and he flipped out of the way, fully-morphed by the time he landed. "Stop this now, Ashley. I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't." She lunged at him, staff swinging in front of her. He dodged out of the way, then grabbed her arm, distorting her leap and sending her tumbling. She quickly got to her feet and kicked him, knocking him back. Then she swung the staff again, striking his shoulder. Sparks flew from his suit as he cried out, backing up until the wall was behind him.

"Ashley, stop! That hurt!"

She charged, staff pointed at him. He quickly moved out of the way, then grabbed the staff, trying to pull it away from her. She refused to let go.

He yanked downward, sending them both to the floor. He quickly got on top of her, pinning the staff across her chest. "Ashley, that's enough. Please."

She groaned. "You're hurting me." He immediately let go of the staff. She grinned, punching the staff upwards and striking him in the helmet. Then she kicked, knocking him off of her, and got back to her feet.

He stood. "Alright, that's it. This ends now." She smiled and lunged again. He caught the staff and pulled, but she landed on her feet and drove him back into the wall. He quickly turned them, pinning her back against the wall. She struggled, trying to twist the staff out of his grip, but he held on. "Stop it."

She shoved against him, but he held firm. She began shaking the staff, trying to pull it loose, but he refused. Suddenly, purple lightning shot from the tip of the staff, striking the wall.

Stunned, he backed off, letting go of the staff. Both of them stared at the scorch mark left on the wall by the blast. Then he looked at her. "Ashley?"

She looked at the staff, then at him. For a moment, confusion replaced the anger on her face. Then she teleported away in a flash of purple.


	7. Old Foes, Part 2

**A/N: Hey all! Happy Halloween! I figured I had to get part 2 of the chapter up to you in time for the holiday, since this is the part that really fits with the day. This chapter is heavy on references to LG and every Zordon-era series, but as before, you don't necessarily need to know them to enjoy the chapter.**

**The last scene of this chapter is actually the very first scene I wrote of the entire story, and was the hook that inspired me to write the rest. I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Same as before.**

**Chapter 7: Old Foes, Part 2**

TJ arrived at the room first, but Karone was hot on his heels. Inside, she saw Andros standing there, morphed, staring at a scorch mark on the wall. "What happened?"

He turned to them and removed his helmet. "She fired the Wrath Staff."

Karone stared at him. "That's impossible." The Wrath Staff required extreme negative emotions to work. No matter how hard she was pretending to be Astronema, Ashley could never have fired it. She was, quite simply, too good.

But the scorch mark on the wall told a different story.

The other rangers arrived. "Where did she go?" TJ asked.

"She teleported."

"D.E.C.A., what is Ashley's location?" Zhane asked.

"She is in the rear storage room on Deck 3."

"That's the most remote corner of the ship," said Andros. "She clearly wants to be alone."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," said Kat. "I'll go talk to her." The current rangers looked at her in surprise. "I've dealt with Queens of Evil before. Let me try."

"Alright," said Andros. "You remember how to get there?"

Kat gave him a look. "It was just this morning."

"Right." As she walked away, he turned and looked at the scorch mark again.

As the other rangers dispersed, Karone entered the room. "Are you okay?"

He looked back at her. "No, I'm not."

She came up beside him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"She was Astronema. It wasn't just an act. We fought, and it was just like fighting you." He looked back at the scorch mark. "What's happening to her?"

She also looked at the mark. "Maybe it's the staff."

"The staff?"

"The staff relies on negative energy. Maybe it has some of that negative energy still imbued in it. She's been walking around with it all day, so maybe it's affected her somehow."

He sighed. "I hope it's that simple."

Withdrawing her hand from his shoulder, she looked around the room. "She's barely unpacked at all. What was she doing in here all day?"

Unmorphing, he walked over to her bed. "When I got here, she was staring at this." He picked up her morpher. Then he turned to Karone, holding it out. "Here, you should take it. Who knows what we're really up against this time?"

Karone took Ashley's morpher, placing it on her wrist. "It's all going to work out, Andros."

"I hope you're right."

* * *

After an hour, Tommy started to sound a little anxious. "Kat's still not back."

Karone and Andros turned from the screen showing the data on Ostaven. "D.E.C.A., are they both still in the storage room?" Andros asked.

"Yes, Andros."

"I think we should go and check on them," said Tommy.

"I agree," said Andros.

Exiting the bridge, they found Zhane and Maya talking quietly in the hallway. Karone looked from one to the other, noting the laughter on Maya's face. But now wasn't the time to worry about that.

"Come on," said Andros. "We're going to check on Kat and Ashley."

Zhane and Maya both nodded, following. On the way, they passed the SimuDeck, where TJ and Carlos were sparring, and gathered them, too.

"Katherine is leaving the storage room," D.E.C.A. announced.

"Finally," said Tommy. "Come on, let's see what the story is."

They climbed up to Deck 3, entering the hallway. Turning the corner, they found themselves face-to-face with a cat-monster.

"Katastrophe?" Tommy stepped forward, looking horrified.

"Ah, we meet again, White Ranger."

"What happened? Where's Kat?"

"I'm right here. I've just woken up from a very long cat-nap." The monster struck a fighting pose, then slowly advanced. "Now it's time to destroy you, White Ranger."

"Did Ashley do this?" Carlos asked quietly.

Tommy watched as she advanced. "I'm not going to fight you, Katastrophe. Go back to sleep."

The monster hissed. "It's too late, I'm not giving you any choice." She stopped advancing and made a show of pondering. "Hmm, I wonder what havoc I'll wreak if you refuse. Let's see, what happens if I do this?" She slashed at the wall, and her claws cut right through the metal, exposing the wires underneath.

"That's not good," said Zhane.

"Stop it!" said Tommy, advancing.

"Make me, White Ranger."

"I'm not the White Ranger you remember. It's morphing time!" Red lightning appeared in the shape of a star around each of his hands, and the parts of his morpher appeared on each wrist. He raised each fist in turn, then brought his wrists together in front of himself. "Zeo Ranger Five: Red!"

The monster hissed, and charged. Tommy met her half-way, knocking her back with a powerful kick. "So, you play a different game now. Well, I can play that game, too." She transformed into Kat, but her eyes glowed red. Her morpher appeared in circles of pink lightning around each wrist, and she mirrored Tommy's motions. "Zeo Ranger One: Pink!"

"Kat…" Tommy held up his hand, but she charged at him. Knocking his hand aside, she landed a hard punch to his chest, forcing him back several steps. Then she lunged, knocking him to the ground and landing on top of him.

Karone stared as the two Zeo Rangers battled. How was this happening?

Tommy knocked Kat off of himself, getting back to his feet. He took several steps away from her. "Kat, you've got to snap out of it. I don't want to hurt you."

She scrambled after him, lunging again. He dodged out of the way.

"Déjà vu," Andros muttered.

Tommy ran at Kat, pinning her back against the wall. "Stop." She shoved against him, but he resisted. She landed a kick to his knee, and he grunted, stepping back from her.

Going on the offensive, she leapt up, catching him between her legs, then twisted, pushing him down to the ground. She landed a hard punch to his helmet, then stood and stomped on his shoulder. "You're not going to beat me unless you really try, Tommy." She stepped off of him, walking several paces away, then turned.

Tommy got back to his feet, grabbing his shoulder. "You want me to try? Fine. Hyah!" He charged at her.

"Zeo Ranger One Pink Fire Cloud!" Kat went through a series of motions, then formed a ball of pink energy in her hands. She fired it at him, and he quickly ducked. The rangers behind him were forced to scatter. Karone dove to the floor as the wall behind her exploded, and the lights went out in the hallway.

They heard Tommy's voice. "Flying Power Kick!" Moments later, he grunted.

"Nice try, Tommy. Let me give you some light. Pink Power Shield!" A glowing circle of pink light appeared, then blasted at Tommy. He was sent flying, and the light disappeared.

"Zeo Five Power Sword, power up!" A sword glowed red in Tommy's hand. He waved it around, and it illuminated Kat just before she struck again with the shield. He caught the blow, pulling her over his shoulder to the ground, then pinned her. She knocked the sword out of his hand and kicked, knocking him off of her.

Seeing that he was still holding her shield, she quickly picked up his sword. She swung it at him, and he blocked the blow with the shield. The light went out again. "Pink Fire Cloud!" Another ball of pink energy illuminated the hallway before exploding against the shield.

Tommy was knocked backwards, but remained on his feet, and charged at her. He lunged, striking her in the gut with her own weapon. The sword clattered to the floor, and she wobbled backwards. Wasting no time, Tommy kicked hard, sending her flying backwards.

For a few seconds, there was darkness and silence. Then the lights came back on. "Deck 3 systems restored," D.E.C.A. announced.

Kat lay on the ground, unmorphed and unmoving. Tommy ran over to her. "Kat?" He kneeled down, turning her over onto her back.

Suddenly, her eyes opened, and she hissed. She clawed at him, knocking him backwards once more. Then she got to her feet, turning back into Katastrophe. "You're finished, Ranger!"

"Flying Power Kick!" Tommy soared through the air feet-first, landing two hard kicks to the monster and knocking it backwards.

The monster hissed. "Catch me if you can, Ranger." Then it turned and fled, heading back towards the storage room.

"Wait! Get back here!" Tommy charged after it.

The others watched until both were gone around the corner. "We should go after them," said Andros.

Zhane turned and looked at the damaged wall behind them. "Yeah, before they cause any more damage that will be a nightmare to fix."

"I think we're already in the nightmare," said Carlos. "Ashley and Kat have both turned evil?"

"Come on," said Andros.

The rangers ran in the direction that Tommy had disappeared, then stopped before entering the storage room.

"Wait," said Andros. "We don't know for sure what we're going to face in there. Let's be ready." He thrust his hand forward. "Let's rocket!"

Karone copied his motion, then pressed 3-3-5-EJ on Ashley's morpher. She had morphed as Ashley once before, and knew that it was a different sensation from the Galaxy Ranger morph.

"Tighten up reality gangster?" Maya asked. It was strange seeing her in pink.

Andros shook his head. "Don't ask. Let's go."

They entered the storage room. Ashley and Katastrophe were in there, as was… a green ranger?

"Tommy?" TJ asked.

The green ranger turned and faced them. A large, gold shield covered his upper torso. "Hello, TJ." Tommy's voice sounded decidedly more sinister than before.

"What happened to you?"

"I was woken up." Tommy struck a fighting stance. "Why don't you show me how much you've learned as a ranger?"

"I don't want to fight you."

Ashley advanced, with Katastrophe and the green ranger on either side of her. "Too bad." She raised the Wrath Staff, and purple lightning shot out of it. The rangers dove out of the way as a crate behind them exploded.

"Stop!" shouted Karone. She charged at Ashley, with Andros right beside her. Ashley raised the Wrath Staff, swinging outwards, but Karone dodged the blow and struck the shoulder of the Astronema costume.

Ashley kicked Andros backwards, then turned to Karone. "That's my suit. It's a shame I'll have to destroy it when I destroy you." She swung the staff again, and Karone ducked. She tried to sweep Ashley's legs, but Ashley countered with a kick. Then she struck with the butt of the staff, sending Karone tumbling on the floor.

Karone groaned, looking around. Zhane and Maya were fighting Katastrophe, while TJ and Carlos battled Tommy. None of the fights appeared to be going particularly well. Maya let out a cry as Katastrophe's claws struck, sending her flying backwards. She landed hard beside Karone.

Helping each other to their feet, the Galaxy Rangers looked at their allies. "This isn't going to work," said Maya, clutching her side where the monster had struck.

"You're quite right," said a familiar voice from behind them.

Both rangers spun around. "Villamax?" Maya exclaimed.

Villamax raised his sword, swinging it towards her. Maya dove out of the way, while Karone leapt at him, striking hard.

"How are you still alive?" she demanded. "Trakeena destroyed you."

"I have died a thousand deaths, Karone. In my previous life, I was known as Villamax, but you may continue to call me that if you wish. It matters little." He raised his sword again.

Suddenly, Andros was knocked into her, sending them both to the ground. Katastrophe sent Zhane flying backwards. Tommy leapt into the air, kicking out both legs at once and knocking Carlos and TJ back towards the group.

The rangers gathered together, the villains surrounding them. "What are you?" Karone asked Villamax.

"I am an agent of the Morphing Grid. I have lived a thousand lifetimes, ensuring that balance always remains between good and evil."

"Balance?" Andros looked at him. "What does that mean?"

"The Morphing Grid that supplies all of us with our powers relies on a balance between good and evil. When you destroyed Zordon, it cleansed the forces of Dark Specter. Zordon was careful not to wipe out all evil, ensuring the Morphing Grid's survival, but the wave still placed a significant strain upon it."

"So, that's why you helped Trakeena?" Karone asked. "To strengthen the evil side?"

"The restoration of balance requires that the forces of good be depleted. That is why I aided Trakeena, and why I awoke the latent powers within the Wrath Staff to restore Astronema."

"Are you also responsible for swapping our bodies?"

"No, I did not cause that interesting development. But it worked to my advantage, as Ashley was more susceptible to the staff's power than you would have been, unfamiliar as she was with the influence of evil."

"Enough talk," said Katastrophe. "Let's destroy them."

"I agree," said Tommy. "Let's do away with them now."

"And what happens when the balance is tipped in favor of the forces of evil?" Zhane asked. "Do you help the side of good?"

"I do, and I have." Suddenly, Villamax transformed, appearing as a black, armored ranger.

"The Phantom Ranger?" Carlos exclaimed.

"Indeed." Villamax transformed back into himself.

"So, that's your entire existence?" said Zhane. "Going from life to life, always fighting for the losing side?"

"Ensuring the survival of the Morphing Grid. Without it, the energies that sustain life would dissipate, and the universe would be left an empty void."

"Well, that sounds dramatic. I'm not sure it's a good enough justification for destroying us, however."

"We saved you from General Havoc," said TJ. "Remember? You owe us one."

"My deaths matter little. I always return." Villamax lowered his sword. "However, as you did spare me from one death, I will in turn grant you survival, just this once."

"What?" Ashley demanded, glaring at Villamax. "You're going to let them go?"

"Just this once," said Villamax. "My word is forever honorable, no matter what life I live."

"What about them?" asked Andros.

"Ashley, Katherine, and Tommy are mine, at least until we reach Ostaven. There, I will take my leave of you, and they may decide their own fates."

"I've already made my decision," said Ashley, raising the Wrath Staff. Before she could fire, however, Villamax waved his hand, and the rangers were teleported out of the room. They landed in a heap on the bridge.

Zhane was the first to his feet. "D.E.C.A., lock that storage room. Let us know the moment they try to blast through the door."

"I will," D.E.C.A. replied. "They are locked in."

The other rangers stood. "Well, now we know what we're up against," said TJ, removing his helmet.

Andros removed his own helmet. "Will he keep his word?"

"Yes," Maya replied, unmorphing. "Villamax is honorable. If he holds power over the others, they'll leave us be until we reach Ostaven."

"And we're supposed to just leave them in there with him?" asked Carlos. "There has to be another way."

"We don't know how to make them good again," said Andros. "Until we figure that out, it's best they stay in there with him."

"You do realize that's Ashley you're talking about, right?"

"Of course I do. But right now, she's Astronema."

Karone unmorphed, sharing a glance with her brother.

"Look, we might as well get some sleep. We're still a long way from Ostaven."

"It's not going to be easy to sleep with Astronema aboard our ship," said Carlos. "Never mind the others."

"Lock your door, if it makes you feel better. Really, we're at the mercy of Villamax's honor right now."

Carlos unmorphed, revealing the frustration on his face.

"I'll stay here and keep watch," said Zhane. "D.E.C.A. will let me know if anything happens. You guys sleep."

Carlos sighed, but nodded.

"Wake me up midway through the night," said Andros. "I'll take over."

Zhane nodded, turning towards the screen. The others left the bridge.

Outside, Maya stopped, gently tugging on Karone's arm. Karone turned towards her, as the men went on ahead. "I'll stay up with him."

Karone raised her eyebrows. "Really?" Maya nodded. "Alright. Just… Just be careful with him. He's…"

"I know. I can sense his feelings, remember?" Maya tapped her heart and gave a small smile. "Sleep well." She turned and reentered the bridge.

Karone grimaced, turning away. Again, now wasn't the time to worry about that. She set off after Andros, catching up with him just as he entered the room he shared with Zhane. "Hey."

He turned towards her. "Hey."

"Are you okay?"

"Not really." He shrugged, unmorphing. "But there's nothing I can do about that right now."

Karone sighed and entered the room. Shutting the door, she sat down on Zhane's bed. "You're going to get Ashley back, just like you got me back. Astronema never wins in the end."

Andros sat down. "I appreciate the optimism. It can't be easy for you, seeing her again."

"Well, my week was already screwed up." She gestured at herself, indicating Ashley's body. "Yes, it is difficult. But we'll beat her."

* * *

Things were quiet until lunchtime the next day, when Astronema teleported into the mess hall, flanked by Tommy and Kat. The rangers immediately stood and prepared to defend themselves.

"Relax," said Astronema. "It's not time for your destruction yet." She walked over to the synthetron. The others followed, although Tommy took a moment to glare at the Terran rangers, his eyes glowing green.

"So, you're honoring Villamax's deal," said Andros.

Astronema turned and walked right up to him. The blade of the Wrath Staff came dangerously close to his shoulder. "I owe Villamax for restoring me. So yes, I am honoring his deal." She glanced over his shoulder at Karone.

"But the moment we reach Ostaven and the old man leaves, you're history," Tommy added, pointing at TJ.

"So you say," TJ replied. "I'll be ready for you."

Once all three villains had their meals, they teleported out.

The rangers returned to their seats. "So much for locking them in," said Carlos, looking at Zhane.

"Yeah, it was a gesture," Zhane replied.

"Well, at least now we know for sure they're honoring the deal," said Andros. "So, we don't have to worry until we reach Ostaven."

"And then what?" Carlos asked.

"Villamax said they could decide their own fates," said Maya. "We have to help them overcome the evil."

"And how do we do that?"

"We have to remind them who they are. Who they truly are."

"I doubt it will be that simple," said TJ.

Karone watched the conversation. She knew that it wouldn't be that simple, at least when it came to Astronema. Her former self was too strong for Ashley to battle back on strength of spirit alone.

* * *

The planet looked exactly as it had on the screen. Karone felt like she had gone back in time, to her first arrival here. Except now, instead of Ecliptor and quantrons, she was accompanied by power rangers and an assortment of villains, including her former self.

Astronema came up beside her, looking out the window. "Finally. D.E.C.A., land at my Quantron Garrison!"

"That command has already been given," D.E.C.A. replied curtly.

"Good." Astronema turned to Karone. "It's almost time to destroy you. I suppose it will be a little bittersweet, considering we were one and the same for so long."

"You're not going to win," Karone replied, still looking at the planet. "You never could, not in the end."

"That was your fault. You weakened me. I have no such weakness this time."

"Yes, you do." Now Karone turned and faced her. "Her name is Ashley Hammond."

"Ashley will not overcome me. I will not allow it."

"You're underestimating her, just like you underestimated Andros and me."

"I'm not underestimating anyone. I fully understand the strength of you power rangers. And that is why you will lose."

Karone turned away from her, returning to her room. She suddenly felt the need to do something to prepare, but there wasn't anything to do at the moment. Feeling frustrated and impatient, she shut the door and sat on her bed.

She was about to fight Astronema. She felt her heart rate increase.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. "Come in." The door opened, and she was stunned to see Villamax there.

"I apologize for the intrusion."

"What do you want?"

Villamax entered the room, looking around. "You humans have such affection for your colorful trinkets and belongings."

"Most of this stuff is Ashley's. What are you doing here?"

He looked down at her. "Does your frustration come from my presence? Or the presence of Astronema?"

"Both. But mostly her."

"I can understand how it is disconcerting for you. I have fought on both sides of conflict for eternity. More than once, I have had to undo the doings of my former selves."

Karone looked up at him. She found it difficult to imagine such an existence.

"But, knowing exactly what I was up against made it easier to prevail. You know Astronema better than anyone. You know exactly how to defeat her."

Karone wasn't sure she knew, but she would figure it out. "Why are you telling me this? Aren't you here to strengthen the evil side and destroy us?"

"There is already evil on the planet below. I can sense it."

Karone raised her eyebrows. "Evil on Ostaven? There are just a bunch of amphibian scholars living down there. I doubt they pose much of a threat to anyone."

"Oh, I think you will be quite surprised by what you find there." Villamax crossed his arms. "When we land, I will go and seek out that evil, and I will no longer have an interest in whether or not Astronema succeeds."

"So, I suppose if we beat her, we'll have to deal with whatever new evil you find on the planet."

"You will. But that is not today's challenge."

"Very well. Thank you for your advice." This felt like such a strange conversation to be having. But he reminded her of Ecliptor in some ways, which made her feel better.

"You are welcome." With that, he departed.

* * *

As the ship landed, the rangers gathered at the exit. Astronema came up behind them, flanked by Tommy and Kat.

"Let's rocket!" Andros shouted. Karone and Maya had switched morphers, so that they would now be wearing the same colors they wore as Galaxy Rangers. Karone felt the surge of power as Cassie's suit covered her, and turned to face Astronema.

"Quantrons are gathering outside the ship," D.E.C.A. announced.

Astronema smiled. "Ah, my quantrons. Your fate is sealed, Rangers."

"Open the door," said Andros. The door opened, revealing quantrons in defensive stances, weapons aimed.

Astronema started down the ramp. "Quantrons, your Queen has returned." She pointed at the rangers. "Destroy them."

The quantrons exchanged glances. Then they spoke to each other in a strange language, and Karone recognized it as the language of the Ostavenians.

She felt relieved. These weren't quantrons, they were Ostavenians wearing quantron armor. Of course, that also meant they probably had no idea how to use the weapons they were holding, and were just trying to intimidate the invaders. That wouldn't work.

"Hold it right there, Astronema!" Five figures in colored armor came up behind the ones in quantron armor.

Astronema stared at them. "Power rangers? Here?"

"Yes. And you no longer hold any power here." As always, it was the red ranger who did the talking. Karone was a little pleased that the voice was female.

But they weren't speaking the Ostavenian language. Who were they?

"Come on, guys," said Andros. He ran down the ramp, past Astronema, and the others followed. They stopped in front of the other rangers. "We're very pleased to see you."

"Don't turn your back on your enemy," the female red ranger admonished him.

"Right, of course." Andros and his team turned back around. Tommy and Kat came up on either side of Astronema, but now eleven rangers stood against them, rather than just six.

Suddenly, a white light appeared between them. The light took humanoid form, and then transformed into a man wearing a white business suit. "Relax, everyone. That is not Astronema." The man turned and faced Astronema. "Welcome, Ashley Hammond of Planet Earth."

Astronema glared at him. "I am Astronema!"

"No, you aren't. Astronema is right there." The man pointed at Karone.

Karone looked down at herself. She was still in Cassie's suit, never mind being in Ashley's body. How did he know?

He looked at her. "Hello again, Karone. Much has changed since we last saw each other."

Karone frowned, not recognizing him at all.

The man looked back up at the villains. "And Tommy and Kat. It has been a very long time, hasn't it?"

"Who are you?" Tommy demanded.

"I can understand your lack of recognition. After all, I was very different during our previous encounters." The man held out his hand, and a narrow beam of white light extended upwards and downwards from it. Karone's eyes widened as the light at the top of the beam formed into the shape of a Z.

"You knew me as Lord Zedd."


	8. Lord Zedd

**A/N: Hey all! Since the source material doesn't provide much of a backstory for Lord Zedd, I decided to piece one together myself from what little we know about him. Don't worry, though, that doesn't mean this chapter is 5,000 words of background.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This chapter introduces my first OC ranger team, which, like the planet Ostaven, is a product of my own imagination. Everything you recognize, and every part of Zedd's story that is directly from the source material, belongs to Hasbro.**

**Chapter 8: Lord Zedd**

Ranger and villain alike stared at the man. "That isn't possible," said Astronema. "Of all of Dark Specter's generals, how could you have survived the Zordon Wave?"

"Like you, I was not born evil. But my story can wait. It appears there is some business to attend to. Tommy, it has been a long time since we fought hand-to-hand. Care for a rematch?"

Tommy stepped forward. "I defeated you the first time, and I'll do it again." His eyes glowed green, and then his green ranger suit formed around him.

"Only if you promise to 'hyah' with every attack." Zedd gave a wry smile, then moved his staff into a defensive position.

Tommy started running down the ramp, then leapt in the air. "Hyah!" He kicked out towards Zedd, but Zedd intercepted him with the staff, knocking him off course. He landed in a heap.

"You'll have to be less predictable than that, Tommy. This isn't my first time seeing you fight."

Tommy scrambled back to his feet, grunting angrily. He charged again, unleashing a flurry of attacks. Zedd blocked most of the strikes with his staff, and didn't seem fazed by the rest. Finally, though, Tommy landed a hard kick to Zedd's chest, sending him flying backwards. He landed heavily on the ground, not far from Karone.

The pink ranger of the unknown team reached out towards him. "Teacher!"

"I'm fine, Oss'ra." Zedd got back to his feet.

"Not for long," said Tommy, attacking again. Once again, Zedd blocked most of the attacks, and never once unleashed an attack of his own.

Soon, Tommy's 'hyahs' began to sound more strained, and Karone realized that Zedd was wearing him down.

Finally, Tommy backed off, breathing heavily. "Why are you just standing there? You can't defeat me if you don't attack."

"Is that so? Well, fine then." With surprising speed, Zedd twirled his staff into a blur of light. Then he lunged, sending Tommy flying backwards. "Hyah," he added after the fact, with another wry smile.

It took Tommy a few seconds to get back to his feet. When he did, he stared Zedd down for a moment. "I remember how I defeated you before. Dragon Dagger!" A green dagger appeared in his hand.

"You were wearing white when you defeated me before. This time, it seems I'm the one in white. Remember this?" He held his staff in front of him, and it transformed in a flash of light. Suddenly, Zedd was holding a white-and-gold scimitar, with what appeared to be a tiger head at the bottom of the hilt. "My staff still retains the memory of Saba's bite. Let us see if your dagger will, too."

Tommy charged, and the dagger and sword clashed, releasing sparks.

The battle took on a faster pace, with Zedd once again spending most of the time on the defensive. Again, Tommy began to sound tired as he threw his energy into every attack.

Finally, Zedd knocked him back with a kick. "You can't win, Tommy. Yield."

"Never." Tommy attacked again, but Zedd flicked the sword. The dagger flew out of Tommy's hand, disappearing the moment it hit the grass.

Zedd transformed the sword back into his staff. "You are still quite an impressive fighter, Tommy. But evil certainly does nothing to aid your skills."

"That's enough!" Astronema shouted. "I'm tired of a fair fight!" Raising her staff, she fired a blast of purple lightning at Zedd. He was knocked into the air, flying back over the rangers' heads and landing on the ground some distance behind them.

"No!" the ranger that Zedd had identified as Oss'ra shouted.

"You'll pay for that!" said the female red ranger. "Nitarangers, attack!"

"Let's go, guys!," said Andros, and his team joined their counterparts in charging towards the villains.

Kat ran down the ramp, transforming into her Katastophe form. Karone and Oss'ra reached her at the same time, and the fight began.

Astronema remained in her position on the ramp. Andros charged towards her, flanked by Zhane and the female red ranger. She calmly raised her staff, knocking them all back.

As TJ and the other blue ranger joined the fight against Katastrophe, Karone broke off. She ran up the side of the ramp, knowing that Astronema would simply blast away another frontal assault. Astronema turned and fired, but Karone dodged the attack. Reaching the ship, she concealed herself around the corner, waiting.

"Don't try to run, Karone. This fight has been a long time coming." Astronema entered the ship, looking in the direction Karone had gone.

Karone attacked, lashing out with a kick and knocking her former self back. Astronema raised her staff, but Karone didn't give her the chance, charging and attacking with a series of strikes.

Astronema managed to knock Karone back with the staff. Then she retreated several steps down the hallway, before turning and firing. Karone dodged the blast, then ran to close the distance between them again.

Astronema swung the staff, but Karone ducked and then lunged, throwing herself at Astronema and knocking them both to the floor. She knocked the staff from Astronema's hands, and it slid several meters down the hall.

Astronema threw Karone off of her, landing a hard kick to her side. Karone cried out, clutching her side, then gave chase as Astronema went after the staff. Lunging again, she grabbed Astronema's legs and tripped her, then scampered past her and picked up the staff. Turning, she aimed it at Astronema.

"You can't fire it," said Astronema. "You're too good."

"You're right," Karone replied. In her first battle against Astronema, after she first became the Pink Galaxy Ranger, Karone had fired the staff. But that time, the staff had been an illusion, so the rules were different. This time, the staff was the real thing, and Karone knew that she didn't have the anger and hatred required.

Astronema attacked, and Karone used the staff to block her first strike. She retaliated with a kick, then swung the staff. Astronema blocked and tried to catch the staff, but Karone shoved her back before she could get a hold of it.

Charging, she pinned Astronema back against the wall of the hallway. Astronema pushed back, breaking free and kicking. Karone was knocked back into the far wall, but she kept her hold on the staff. Astronema lunged, but Karone kicked outward and intercepted her, and her former self landed in a heap on the floor.

"I know exactly how you fight, Astronema. Villamax was right, I'm the one person who can beat you."

Astronema got back to her feet, glaring at Karone. Then she turned and ran, disappearing around the corner.

"Now who's running?" Karone yelled. Throwing the staff aside, she gave chase.

Astronema turned corner after corner, and Karone did her best to keep sight of her. Then she rounded a corner and found Astronema waiting for her. Astronema landed a hard kick to her gut, knocking Karone back. She landed heavily with a grunt.

Instead of pressing the advantage, Astronema ran again, disappearing. Karone got back to her feet and went after her. When she rounded the next corner, however, Astronema was gone.

Guessing which way she might have gone, Karone went in that direction, but didn't see anything around the next corner. "Where are you?" She looked around.

Getting a thought, she ran towards the bridge. Astronema could do a fair amount of damage from there. When Karone entered the bridge, however, it was empty.

"Astronema has entered the SimuDeck," D.E.C.A. announced.

"Thanks, D.E.C.A." Karone ran over to the SimuDeck. The door was open, and Karone hesitated. Astronema could be waiting just inside.

Assuming a defensive stance, Karone cautiously entered. Astronema was standing by the machine. Giving a wicked smile, Astronema activated the machine, and the room filled with simulated quantrons.

Karone stared at the force that suddenly stood against her. "Get her!" Astronema yelled. The quantrons attacked.

Karone battled her way into the horde of quantrons. She tried to take the simulations down one-by-one, but there were too many. Then, suddenly, Astronema was there as well, attacking and then ducking behind a quantron before Karone could retaliate. She did this again and again, forcing Karone onto the defensive.

There were too many quantrons, and the constant battle was wearing down Cassie's suit. Karone backed up to the wall, fending off the blows as best she could.

Then she remembered something. Andros had told her a story about a vulnerability in the SimuDeck on the Megaship that had enabled craterites to escape and invade Earth after the ship was struck by lightning. After he later told Kinwon about the problem, the SimuDecks on all starships were modified with failsafe technology to prevent simulations from leaving the SimuDeck.

Turning, Karone ran for the door. The last of the power in Cassie's suit faded, and Karone dove through the doorway as she unmorphed, landing heavily on the floor.

She turned and looked at the quantrons. The first few tried to follow her through the doorway, and disappeared instantly. The rest halted and backed away from the doorway, staring at her through it.

Groaning, Karone sat against the far wall, watching the quantrons stare at her.

Astronema emerged from among them, and stepped out into the hallway, glaring down at her. "You don't have Cassie's powers to protect you anymore." Raising her boot, she placed it against Karone's chest. "You're finished, Karone." She began pressing.

Karone groaned. "Stop, Ashley."

Astronema's eyes flashed, and the pressure reduced as she leaned forward. "My name is Astronema."

Before she stood straight again and resumed pressing, Karone quickly yanked her leg to the side, throwing her off-balance. She fell to the floor, and Karone scrambled to try to pin her.

Unmorphed and tired, however, she lacked the strength to hold Astronema down. Astronema threw her off, then got back to her feet and landed a hard kick to Karone's gut. Karone groaned, doubling over on the floor.

"Your defeat is my final vindication." Astronema kicked again. "I was always the stronger of us. Now that I'm free of you, nothing can ever hold me back again." She kicked again, and then reached down and forcefully lifted Karone's head up. "Destroying you will be deeply satisfying."

"Star Slinger!" A bolt of yellow energy struck Astronema, and she released Karone. Both looked up to see Maya and Andros approaching. Maya was holding Ashley's weapon, while Andros held both his Spiral Saber and the Wrath Staff.

Maya fired again, and Astronema grunted as she was struck. With one last glare at Karone, she ducked back into the SimuDeck, and the protection of the quantrons.

"Karone, are you okay?" Andros placed both weapons on the floor as he knelt down beside her.

"Yeah, I'm alright." She allowed her brother to lift her up until she was sitting against the wall again. Her entire body ached.

"She used the SimuDeck to create an army of quantrons," said Maya, looking into the room.

"They can't leave the SimuDeck," said Andros. "We're safe from them out here."

"And she's safe from us in there," Maya added. She raised the Star Slinger and blasted a few of the nearest quantrons through the doorway, but more just took their places.

"D.E.C.A., shut down the SimuDeck."

"I cannot, Andros. Astronema has cut off my access to the system."

"I figured as much." Andros turned and faced the room. "You can't win, Astronema. Stand down."

"Come and make me, Red Ranger."

TJ, Carlos, and Zhane arrived, followed by the other team of rangers. "Are you okay?" TJ asked, looking down at Karone.

"I'm fine. What about Tommy and Kat?"

The red ranger of the other team spoke up. "Your other enemies are subdued and contained."

"Astronema?" Zhane asked.

Andros nodded towards the room. "She's barricaded herself in there behind an army of quantrons."

"D.E.C.A…"

"I already tried that. D.E.C.A. has been cut off."

"We can take them," said Carlos. "There are eleven of us now."

"Ten," said Andros, looking at Karone.

Grunting, Karone slid up the wall until she was standing again. "No, eleven."

"Karone…"

"This is my fight. I'm going back in there."

Andros sighed, and Karone didn't need to see his face to know the expression beneath his helmet. "Fine, but stay behind us."

The other red ranger turned to her team. "Nitarangers, make ready."

"We are ready," said the yellow ranger. She sliced her hand through the air, and Karone noticed for the first time that the team's fingers were webbed, just like Ostavenians' fingers were.

The red ranger turned to Andros, who picked up his Spiral Saber and nodded. "Let's go."

The two red rangers led the way into the room, lashing out at the nearest quantrons. The others followed. Pushing herself off the wall, Karone went after them, forcing herself to move despite the protests of her aching body.

Inside the room, the rangers fanned out, clearing the quantrons away. Karone immediately looked for Astronema, and spotted her against the far wall, glaring at the approaching rangers.

As the rangers closed in, clearing away the remaining quantrons, Karone approached her former self. "Give up, Astronema. You're finished."

Astronema grinned at her. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?"

Purple light appeared around Astronema, and she began teleporting. The purple light lingered around her body for a moment, but then dissipated. She frowned down at herself.

Karone smiled. "It's not easy to teleport without the Wrath Staff, is it? You've done it before, sure, but only after years of training and learning how to control the flow of dark energy within your body. Within my body, I should say. Ashley may have my body now, but the experience doesn't come with it."

Astronema glared. "The experience is mine!" She tried to teleport again, but failed.

"No. You're still within Ashley, who is untrained. My body or not, you won't be able to control the energy without the help of the staff."

"Fine. But I can still finish you off!" She charged at Karone.

Karone braced herself. She knew how Astronema would attack, and quickly moved out of the way. Her sore body cried out at the speed of the movement, but she ignored the pain and counter-attacked, landing a strong kick that sent Astronema to the floor.

Andros rushed over, lowering the Spiral Saber over Astronema's face. "It's over, Astronema."

Astronema stared at the point of the saber hovering above her. "You won't hurt Ashley."

She started to get up, but Andros lowered the saber further, until the point made contact with Astronema's chin. "Try me."

The blue ranger of the other team stepped forward, raising a hand. "Tentacle Grip." A weapon that looked like a small squid formed around his hand, with four tentacles reaching outwards. Kneeling down beside Astronema, he lowered the hand until the tentacles circled around her, pinning her arms at her sides.

"What?" Astronema struggled against the grip. "Release me! Now!"

"You are no longer the ruler of this planet," the ranger calmly replied. He held out his other hand. "Gor'ko."

His green teammate handed him a device that appeared to be part-metal and part-organic. He placed the device on Astronema's chest, and a thick, green membrane began spreading over her.

"What is this?" Astronema demanded. Andros and the unknown blue ranger both withdrew their weapons, but Astronema could only stare as the membrane covered her body. She struggled against it, to no avail. Soon, everything but her head was tightly contained within the green cocoon.

Feeling the last rush of energy leave her, Karone wobbled. Andros rushed over, bringing a hand up to support her. "Are you okay?"

Karone steadied herself. "Yeah." Her body said otherwise, but she continued to ignore the pain.

"You won't be for long." Astronema struggled again, but the cocoon held firm.

Andros lowered his hand and unmorphed, revealing the concern on his face.

The pink ranger of the other team, Oss'ra, approached Karone. "You are hurt." Her armor receded from around her head, revealing a green, fish-like face framed by blue fins that ran from the top of her head down to the back and sides of her neck. She was Ostavenian.

"I'll be okay," Karone replied. "When did you learn our language?" Never mind the question of when Ostavenians suddenly stopped being harmless scholars and got a power ranger team.

The other rangers' armors receded from their heads as well. "These are translation discs." The red ranger tapped the white circle on the front of her armor. "Teacher made them for us, to translate our words into what he said was the language of Venjix." Karone realized that her mouth was still speaking her own language, and the words she could understand were coming from the disc.

"Venjix?" Andros asked.

The yellow ranger pointed upwards. "Where you come from."

"You mean outer space?"

"Ven means place." All of the rangers looked over as Zedd entered the room. "Jix means many. When I first arrived here, the people already had some understanding that there were many worlds in the cosmos. Thus, they refer to outer space as Venjix, meaning many places. And since you represent all three of the planets currently inhabited by humans, Jun'ga is right." He gestured to the yellow ranger. "You are, quite literally, from Venjix."

Maya unmorphed, frowning at him. "How did you know where I'm from?"

"I have slowly been regaining my old abilities since the Zordon Wave. These include powers from long before I became… Lord Zedd. Among them, telepathy."

Carlos frowned. "You can read our minds?"

"Relax, Carlos. I don't do it habitually." He tapped his temple. "I can turn it on and off like a switch." A look of envy crossed Maya's face, and he turned to her. "You can do the same with your ability. I can show you how, if you like."

She stared at him, surprised. "I would like that."

TJ looked skeptical. "So, the Zordon Wave turned you good? Just like that?"

"The Zordon Wave cleansed me of evil, restoring me to my original self. Well, not my original form." He looked down at his human form. "I suppose this human body is my cosmic punishment, but I can live with it."

"What are you?" Andros asked.

"I am originally of Eltar, just like Zordon himself."

All of the humans stared at him.

Zedd looked down at the floor, looking like he was staring into a distant memory. "Like Zordon, I fought in the endless war against the forces of evil. But I lacked Zordon's resolve, and his unrelenting faith in the power of good. As we were dealt a series of defeats, I became desperate to find a new means of turning the tide. At the time, the Zeo Crystal was widely believed to be just a legend, but I abandoned my allies to go and find it. I thought it was the one thing that could save the universe."

He shook his head. "I spent hundreds of years alone, searching for the crystal. As I searched, my desperation grew into frustration, and that frustration grew into anger. I was angry at all of it: the evil, the good, everything that kept the universe in a state of endless warfare and destruction."

Karone recalled what Villamax had said about the Morphing Grid relying on a balance between good and evil. If Villamax was right, the endless warfare that Zedd had resented was the very thing that maintained the universe.

"By the time I found the Crystal, I was so full of hatred that I could not recognize myself. I was no longer an agent of good. I had become nothing more than an emissary of my own wrath. I wanted to destroy not just the evil, but everything that had contributed to my anguish. And the forcefield that protected the Crystal from evil would not let me touch it."

He raised his hands, looking at the human skin on them. "That forcefield destroyed what little was left of the old me. It tore apart my flesh, leaving me with the form you knew." He lowered his hands again. "And as my quest ended in failure, I finally gave in to the evil that had been growing within me. I laid waste to the planet I had once defended, and began building my own empire, eliminating forces of good and evil alike."

Emotions swirled across his human face. The red Ostavenian ranger came up beside him, putting her hand on his shoulder. "That is not who you are now, Teacher."

"Thank you, Aid'na."

"Yes, you're even more pathetic now," said Astronema from her place on the floor.

Zedd ignored her. "When Rita and I were cleansed, we decided that we would do whatever we could to help the forces of good."

"Rita also survived?" asked Carlos.

"Yes. She is only half-Eltarian, but her mother taught her to fight for good before her father captured and corrupted her." Zedd turned towards the Ostavenians. "We decided to go to different parts of the universe and each form our own power ranger teams, helping them to do all of the good that the rangers had done against us. Once our penances were complete, we would reunite."

"So you came here?" asked TJ. "Where did Rita go?"

Zedd shook his head. "I don't know."

"I'll find her, and destroy her," said Astronema. "After I destroy you, traitor."

Zedd looked down at her. "Gor'ko, carry her to Nitaven. I believe the humans would like their friend Ashley back."

"Yes, Teacher." The green ranger, who was the largest of the Ostavenians, stepped forward. Kneeling beside Astronema, he scooped her up off the floor, lifting her with surprising ease.

"Release me! I demand that you put me down!" Astronema began struggling in earnest.

"No," Gor'ko replied simply, holding firm.

The others started towards the doorway. Karone turned to join them, but the pain flared up as soon as she started walking, and she stumbled.

"Allow me to help you," said Oss'ra. Karone felt some reluctance, but nodded, allowing Oss'ra to help her off the ship.

Outside, they found Tommy and Kat restrained in green cocoons just like Astronema was. They had been laid down on what looked like slabs of emerald, and were surrounded by the Ostavenians in quantron armor, who had removed their helmets.

They glared at the rangers as they emerged from the ship. "You'll pay for this," Tommy declared.

"Save the cliché phrases, Tommy," said Zedd. "They're not worth the effort they take to say."

Aid'na spoke to the Ostavenians in quantron armor, her translation disc still translating her words. "We will bring them to Nitaven. They will be cleaned of the evil."

The other Ostavenians replied. Then they lifted the emerald slabs off the ground, revealing that they were far lighter than they looked.

Aid'na led everyone out of the garrison. The city could be seen in the distance, but the red ranger turned towards the ocean.

"What is Nitaven?" Andros asked.

"Nitaven is most of the planet," Zedd replied. "You call this world Ostaven, but technically, that only refers to the continent. Osta means dry, and as I said before, ven means place. So, Ostaven is the continent, and Nitaven, or wet place, is the ocean."

"Well, Ostaven is the name of the planet in the official records at NASADA," said TJ. "So, we should probably stick with calling it that. Those records are hard to change."

Zedd made a face. "So be it."

Carlos looked around as the Ostavenians quietly talked to each other. "Why do only the rangers have translation discs?"

Zedd frowned at the question. "It was hard enough to make just five of them. Cut me some slack."

The response caught Carlos off-guard. "Sorry."

"We can translate the words of the others for you," said Oss'ra.

The yellow ranger, whom Zedd had referred to as Jun'ga, came up on the other side of Karone. "Oss'ra always wants to help everyone, as you can see."

"And what about you?" TJ asked. "Don't you like helping people?"

"I like knowing people," Jun'ga replied. "I am curious about you and your home. I would like to travel to Venjix myself someday."

Aid'na looked back at her. "We must defend our people, as you know."

"I know, Aid'na."

"Relax, sibling," said the blue ranger, looking at Aid'na. He turned to Jun'ga. "There is much that you can learn about Venjix from within the Hall of Knowledge." Karone guessed that he was referring to the ancient library, which was visible in the distance.

Jun'ga made a high-pitched noise. "I cannot take an entire day reading like you can, Log'no. I need to see things with my own eyes."

"Aid'na and Log'no are from the same group of eggs," said Oss'ra. "Although they do not often seem like it. Aid'na trains, and Log'no reads."

"I train when I need to," said Log'no.

Aid'na glanced over her shoulder at her brother. "Yes, and no more than that."

Karone noticed Oss'ra beginning to slow down, and tried to lighten the amount of weight that she was putting on the Ostavenian. Fortunately, Jun'ga noticed as well. She took Karone's other arm, pulling it across her shoulders. "Rest, Oss'ra. I will help the hurt one."

"My name is Karone."

"Karone," Jun'ga repeated. The name came out of her mouth a little broken, sounding like 'Kar'on.'

Aid'na stopped when she reached the water's edge, and she turned to the others. "Bring the evil ones."

Tommy and Kat were brought to the water on their emerald slabs, and Gor'ko carried Astronema. He waded into the water, and Astronema looked down at it. "Don't you dare. Do not put me in there."

"I thought you wanted me to put you down," Gor'ko replied.

"On land, you overgrown fish. Don't you dare ruin my wig."

"Your what?"

"Her wig." Andros walked up beside Aid'na. "Her hair comes off. I'll take it." He waded into the water and took the wig off Astronema's head, keeping it out of the water. "There, are you happy now? Your wig is safe."

"Not at all. Do not put me in there."

"But your wig is safe," said Gor'ko.

Astronema glared at him.

Aid'na was growing visibly impatient. "Just submerge her, Gor'ko."

Astronema continued to protest as Gor'ko gently lowered her into the water. Tommy and Kat were already submerged.

"The strength of Nitaven will clean them of the evil," said Log'no.

"The water here has a special energy within it, similar to that of the Zeo Crystal," Zedd explained. "It is the source of life for the people here, and source of power for the rangers. It should remove the corruption from your friends."

"Remove the first two," said Aid'na. Tommy and Kat were raised out of the water. They both breathed deeply, then opened their eyes and looked around.

"Tommy?" TJ asked.

Tommy nodded. "I'm back. I'm sorry about that, man."

"No problem."

Everyone looked at Kat. She sat up in the cocoon and looked around. "Purrrr. I feel like I need a scratching post."

Tommy frowned. "Kat?"

She chuckled. "I'm joking. The water worked."

"Bring them back to Ostaven," said Aid'na. Tommy and Kat were returned to land. Aid'na pulled what looked like a large tooth from the belt of her armor, and cut them each free of the cocoons.

"Thank you," said Tommy, stretching out his arms. "Those things were a little tight."

"They are necessary restraints."

"I'm not disagreeing with you." He stood, then helped Kat to her feet.

Aid'na turned back to the water. "Gor'ko, remove her."

Karone looked on anxiously as Gor'ko lifted Astronema out of the water. She hoped that her former self was gone once and for all.

Those hopes were quickly dashed. Astronema opened her eyes and glared at Gor'ko. "I am going to fillet you, you giant fish."

"Ashley?" Andros looked down at her.

Astronema turned her glare on him. "Ashley is gone, Red Ranger. You'll never see her again."

"It did not work," said Jun'ga. Karone's heart sank.

Gor'ko looked at Aid'na uncertainly, and Aid'na turned to Zedd with a similar expression.

Zedd stared at Astronema, frowning. "The other two were corrupted by evil from their own pasts. Astronema was never part of Ashley, and was an entirely separate entity. That must be why Nitaven failed to remove her."

"What must happen?" Aid'na asked.

Zedd sighed. "Bring her back to Ostaven. We'll find somewhere to keep her until we come up with a new idea."

"You heard him," said Astronema, glaring up at Gor'ko again. "Back to the land."

As Gor'ko waded back out of the water, Andros slowly followed. Karone stared at the tragic look on her brother's face, her own feelings mirroring his expression. Astronema was not gone, and Ashley might have been.

She hoped that she was wrong.


	9. Go Go Nitarangers!

**A/N: Hey all. Major apologies for the very long and unannounced hiatus. I'm having a crazy-busy winter, and my brain can't seem to decide which story it wants to work on. Here is an action-heavy chapter for you all that merges my original content of the planet Ostaven and its people with the standard, beloved tropes of Power Rangers episodes.**

**Disclaimer: This chapter features a lot of original content as the canon rangers see more of the world of Ostaven, but much of it is styled after the standard formula of a Power Rangers episode, with my OC team employing its zords and weapons in manners reminiscent of the canon teams on the show. What you recognize as canon belongs to Hasbro.**

**Chapter 9: Go Go Nitarangers!**

The city's medical facility was like none that Karone had ever been in before. It was built partially above the water and partially within it. Karone lay on one of the emerald slabs, which was surprisingly comfortable. She had been lowered through a hole in the floor, and was now mostly immersed in the water, with only her face above it.

The water seemed alive as it flowed around her body. The energy seeped in, helping her body to repair itself. It felt fantastic, and Karone certainly wouldn't have minded staying in this water even after her injuries were healed.

However, the medic had other ideas, and she was raised back out and into the room. Andros was still there, sitting on a green bench on the far side of the room. His clothes were still wet, but none of the Ostavenians had seemed to mind when he came in dripping their powered water on the floor.

The medic exited for a moment, and came back with Oss'ra in tow. "How do you feel?" Oss'ra asked. She had fully unmorphed now, and was wearing a pearl-white tunic wrapped with a pink sash. Each of her green limbs was lined with blue fins and white spines, and her hands and feet were wide and webbed. Her translation disc hung from a white, lanyard-like accessory around her neck.

"Good," Karone replied. "Really good. Your water is amazing."

"The power of Nitaven gives us our life, and restores our bodies."

Karone sat up on the slab, and the medic said something. "She will be well," said Oss'ra, looking at the medic. "She is one of the chosen of her people."

The medic's concerns apparently placated, Karone stood. She could still feel the pleasant tingle of the energy beneath her skin, and it was a delightful contrast from the pain she had felt when she entered. "Chosen?"

"You were one of the humans chosen to defend your people as a power ranger."

"Right." Karone looked at Andros, who also stood. "Where are the others?"

"They went over to the ancient library."

She nodded, then turned back to the Ostavenians. "Tell him I'm very grateful," she said to Oss'ra, indicating the medic.

"I will."

Karone and Andros left the room, and then Karone paused. "Wait. I want to see her."

Andros raised his eyebrows. "Alright, we can—"

"No, you go on ahead. I'll catch up with you."

He looked at her for a moment. "Okay. See you later."

He went towards the exit, and she turned the other way. Climbing a set of stairs, she emerged on a floor that Oss'ra had said was mostly used for storage. It was significantly darker and quieter than the floor below.

She entered a room that was empty but for the prisoner. Astronema sat against the wall, still wrapped in the green cocoon. The room was dim, with the only light coming from a high window that Astronema couldn't have seen out of even if she were able to stand.

Karone sat down against the adjacent wall, watching her former self. Her eyes were closed, but Karone could tell that she wasn't asleep. Andros hadn't yet returned her wig, and it was strange seeing her with Karone's natural hair.

After a few seconds, Astronema opened her eyes and looked at her. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought you might want some company."

"Very funny."

Karone watched her for a moment. "You know, seeing you sit there alone like that is reminding me of when you used to sit in the window on the Dark Fortress, staring out at space. That was when you were feeling things."

"I don't feel anything. That was you."

"I know."

Astronema looked away from her, glaring at the wall. "I would be ruling the universe right now if it weren't for you. You were my only weakness."

"We were the same person. Without me, you wouldn't have existed."

"Well, I don't have that problem anymore."

"But you're still occupying someone else. This time it's Ashley. You're just a parasite in her mind, controlling her movements."

"This is my body, so who's occupying whom? And Ashley is hardly a concern. She's weaker than you are."

Karone frowned. "What would Ecliptor say? Have you forgotten everything he taught us?"

Astronema mirrored her expression. "What do you mean?"

Karone watched her face as she reminded her of her former mentor. Astronema's frown faded, and she closed her eyes. A look of frustration crossed her features. "Ashley?"

Astronema's eyes snapped back open. "Ashley's gone!"

"She's trying to emerge right now. I can tell. It happens when you feel things."

"I'm not feeling anything. The only thing I'm feeling is annoyance at this… thing." She briefly glared down at the cocoon.

"You miss Ecliptor, just like I do."

Astronema looked away again. "I couldn't care less about—" She cut off, shutting her eyes again.

Karone smiled. "Liar."

Astronema opened her eyes again and glared at her. "It's futile for you to try that. Ashley's weak. She's barely more than an annoyance."

"The emotions may have been mine, but you remember them. All of them. And Ecliptor was useful to you. He gave you all of the advice that helped you conquer all those planets."

"Exactly. He was useful to me. Nothing more."

Karone looked around the room. "It's a shame about the room. Definitely not as comfortable as our old room on the Fortress."

"No kidding."

"But I know that doesn't bother you, since you don't feel anything. You don't miss the comfort, the luxury, the servants." Karone smiled. "The power." She stood, turning towards the door. "I'm sure you're not even missing being able to stand up on your own. It turns out that's a luxury as well." She could feel Astronema's glare, and her smile widened as she started to leave the room.

"Wait."

Karone turned back to her. "What?"

"I…" Astronema frowned, stopping herself. "Where's my wig?"

"Why? Do you miss it?"

Astronema's expression shifted to one of pure annoyance. "I… never mind." Her glare returned to the wall, and Karone left the room, shutting the door.

* * *

There was a little hop in her step as she reached the ancient library. Between the energy from the water and the knowledge that Ashley was still fighting to break Astronema's control, she felt really good.

When she entered the massive building, however, all she felt was awe. She stared up at the massive, golden columns that stretched up to the heights of the emerald roof. Every inch of the columns was covered in writing, as were all of the walls. It all seemed so much larger and more magnificent than it had last time she was here. Perhaps she just hadn't been able to appreciate it as Astronema. She was very grateful that Ecliptor had stopped her from destroying the building.

The writing, of course, was just as foreign to her as it had been last time. She walked over to the nearest column, looking at the strange symbols.

"It's not quite what we expected," said Carlos, looking over at her. He stood with TJ and Log'no in front of a different column. "There are no books."

"Did you just assume all libraries have books in them? Not that many planets actually use books, you know."

"Well, excuse us for not being as well-traveled as you are."

"It's pretty awesome, though," said TJ, looking up at the column.

"How do you feel?" Log'no asked. His tunic was similar to Oss'ra's, but was dark gray with a blue sash. Karone gave him the same response she had given Oss'ra. "That is good." He turned back to the column.

Andros was standing with Tommy and Kat in front of a different column. Karone walked over to them, looking around for the other two humans on the planet. "Where are Maya and Zhane?"

"They went for a walk around the city," Andros replied, giving her a knowing look.

Aid'na and Jun'ga entered the building. "Log'no, it is time to train."

Log'no looked over at his sister. "I am trying to help the humans find the information they need."

"That is good, but now it is time to train." Aid'na looked around at the humans. "I am sorry to take him away."

"It's fine," TJ replied. "It's good to keep a strict training schedule."

Log'no gave him a look, perhaps wishing that he had tried to make a case for Log'no to have to stay.

"Actually, I'm curious about how they train," said Tommy.

"Me too," said Andros. "Is it alright if we watch your training?" he asked Aid'na.

"Yes, you are welcome to."

The humans followed the Ostavenians out of the building. Outside, they saw Oss'ra arguing with another Ostavenian some ways away.

"Boyfriend?" Carlos asked.

"That is Nuk'ro, Oss'ra's sibling," said Log'no. "He envies those of us who are chosen to protect our people."

Karone felt a little anger. She liked the friendly Ostavenian pink ranger, and it bothered her now to see her gesturing with such frustration at whatever foolishness her jealous brother was saying.

Finally, Nuk'ro turned and stormed off, and Oss'ra turned towards her fellow rangers. "I am sorry you saw that," she said to the humans as they reached her.

"It's alright," said TJ. "Just about everyone argues with their siblings from time to time."

"That is not true here," said Aid'na. "Not usually," she added, glancing at her brother.

She led them towards the edge of the city. "Where's Gor'ko?" Andros asked.

"Gor'ko builds new structures for the city as our population grows," said Log'no. "He will rejoin us soon."

As it happened, Gor'ko was already waiting for them at their destination. A ring of rocks bordered a large patch of empty grass. The rocks had all been carved into near-perfect cubes, and Karone wondered if they served a purpose other than marking the edge of the training area.

Zedd appeared in a flash of white light. "Right on time, as always. I wondered if the humans might delay your schedule today."

"Of course not, Teacher," Aid'na replied.

Zedd glanced at Tommy. "You came to judge my abilities as a mentor?"

Tommy shrugged and gave his former enemy a wry smile. "I just came to watch their training. I'm not judging anything."

"Very well. Nitarangers, make ready."

The Ostavenians walked to the center of the circle, while the humans waited with Zedd by the rocks. "Power of Nitaven," said Aid'na. A large drop of metallic liquid appeared on each of her shoulders. It reminded Karone of mercury, although it was more translucent. The liquid spread across Aid'na's shoulders, and then the rest of her torso. The same thing was happening to the other nitarangers.

The liquid had nearly completely spread across their bodies by the time the individual colors emerged. Soon, they were fully morphed, their suits enveloping their translation discs in tight, transparent seals.

Zedd raised his staff, and a white-clad putty patrol appeared, surrounding the nitarangers. They immediately went to work.

"Z-putties? Haven't seen those in a long time," Tommy commented. He sat down on one of the cube-shaped rocks, and Kat joined him. Karone eyed the nearest cube warily, still unsure if they served any other purpose.

The nitarangers seemed to be well-versed at defeating the putties. Zedd smiled as he watched them. "They're good, aren't they?"

"Very," Andros replied.

"Perhaps a larger challenge is in order." Zedd glanced at Tommy. "Care to try your hand at making a monster?"

Tommy stared at him. "What?"

Zedd held his staff out, and it shrank in his hand, until it was no larger than a dagger. A small, round point appeared on the end, and soon it looked like he was holding a large, glowing Terran pencil. "Here. Draw something."

Tommy took the pencil, staring at it. "What do I draw on?"

"You're sitting on it."

Tommy raised his eyebrows and quickly stood, and Kat did the same. Both turned to the cube. "I'm not much of an artist."

"Neither am I. Why do you think I used your Terran trinkets for most of my monsters when Finster wasn't around?"

Tommy looked at the pencil and then the cube, hesitating. Then he glanced at Kat. "Um, do you mind if…"

"What, don't want me watching?" Kat turned away, an amused look on her face. Tommy knelt down behind her on the cube and began drawing.

When he was finished, he stood back up. "Now what?"

"Tap the other end of the staff on the cube."

Tommy did so. Then he quickly jumped out of the way as the cube blasted into the air, as though shot from a cannon. It landed halfway towards the center of the patch of grass, and a large, black, cat-like monster landed on top of it.

Kat turned to him. "A cat-monster? Really?"

"It was all I could think of."

"Can't imagine why," TJ commented wryly.

The cat-monster attacked the nitarangers, and they fought back against it. Zedd took his staff back from Tommy and returned it to its original form. Then he waved it, and the cube returned to its original position, Tommy's drawing gone from its surface.

The nitarangers defeated the cat-monster fairly quickly, and Aid'na turned to Zedd. "We should fight something more difficult, Teacher."

Zedd gave Tommy an amused look. "Not bad for a first try, I suppose." The veteran ranger looked embarrassed.

"I want to try something," said Kat. The others looked at her in surprise as she stepped into the circle. Then she shut her eyes, concentrating.

For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, she transformed into her monster form.

Tommy's eyes widened. "Katastrophe?"

Katastrophe looked down at her claws. "This feels… interesting."

"How'd you do that?" Tommy asked.

Katastrophe glanced at him over her shoulder. "I was able to do it when I was evil, no problem. Why shouldn't I be able to do it when I'm good?"

Tommy glanced at Zedd, who shrugged. "Her body has retained some of Rita's magic. Yours has, too. That's how you were able to become the Green Ranger again without her old power coin."

Tommy stared at him for a moment. Then he shut his eyes, concentrating.

The others waited, but nothing happened.

After several seconds, Tommy opened his eyes again, and shook his head.

"Try morphing the same way that you used to," said Zedd.

"I don't have my old morpher. Never mind the coin."

"Pretend you do."

Tommy looked at him for another moment. Then he looked straight ahead, bringing his hands together as though he were holding something. Abruptly, he thrust his hands forward. "Dragonzord!" There was a flash of green light, and then he was morphed in his green ranger suit.

"That's awesome." Everyone turned at Zhane's voice. He and Maya had finally arrived from wherever they had been walking. "As long as they're on our side now, that is."

Katastrophe and the Green Ranger glanced at each other, and then at the nitarangers.

"We don't want to hurt you," said Aid'na.

"You won't," Katastrophe replied. Then she charged, with Tommy right after her.

Tommy and Kat quickly proved to be a more difficult challenge for the nitarangers than his monster had been. The fight went on for some time, until Gor'ko and Jun'ga landed simultaneous kicks to Tommy's stomach, sending him flying backwards. He landed several meters away, unmorphing.

"Are you okay?" Jun'ga asked. She jogged over towards him.

"Yeah, I'm good," Tommy replied, getting back to his feet. Then he rubbed his ribs tenderly. "Think I'll take a short breather though. You fight well."

"Thank you," Jun'ga replied. She glanced over at where Aid'na, Log'no, and Oss'ra were fighting Katastrophe, then rejoined the fight.

With all five nitarangers now attacking her, Katastrophe retreated towards the edge of the circle. But Kat hadn't given up yet. She lunged at Log'no, knocking him away from the others, then pounced, clawing at his suit.

"She's really getting into it," Carlos commented.

Aid'na knocked Katastrophe off of her brother. She quickly helped him to his feet, then turned towards the monster. "Shark-tooth Saber!" A weapon appeared in her hand. It looked like a scimitar comprised of long, pointed teeth, with a red hilt.

Katastrophe looked at the weapon, and smiled. "Alright, let's do this." She raised her claws as Aid'na attacked.

"Aid'na knows it's still Kat under there, right?" TJ muttered. Karone frowned, also a little concerned by the ferocity with which Aid'na was attacking Katastrophe.

Zedd glanced at them. "Don't worry, Kat will be fine."

Pushed back onto the defensive, Kat disengaged from Aid'na and retreated several steps. Then she lunged forward, claws outstretched, and knocked the red nitaranger backwards. Aid'na tumbled and quickly got back to her feet, swinging with her sword as Katastrophe pressed the attack. Sparks flew as the blade struck Kat, and each of the other Terrans took a concerned step towards the battlefield.

Katastrophe backed up several steps, then turned towards Zedd. "Zedd, could I get a lift?"

Karone frowned, having no idea what Kat meant by that, but Zedd smiled. "Why of course." A ball of light formed around the top of his staff. He took the ball with his free hand, then threw it towards Katastrophe, who caught it. The light spread from between her claws, enveloping her, and she began growing in size.

The humans stared as Kat grew to the size of a megazord. Then she looked down at the nitarangers. "Now, show me what you can really do."

Aid'na retreated back to the other nitarangers, and then, in unison, they turned towards the sea. She raised her arm. "Eternal Nitaven, we borrow your strength!"

A tidal wave appeared in the distance, rushing towards the land. As it came closer, five shadows appeared beneath the surface. The first to emerge upon the crest of the wave was a giant, red shark. It was joined by a similarly oversized blue squid, and a green creature that… well, Karone supposed it resembled a spiky Quortonian eel, a little bit.

Just as the wave was about to reach the land, it dissipated. By then, all five of the creatures had emerged. The yellow creature, which looked a bit like a Terran lobster with giant claws and fins, walked across the land, while the others flew through the air as though they were still in the sea.

As they reached the battlefield, the shark zord turned in the air, aiming straight downwards. It's tail split open, and the squid zord settled on top of it, its tentacles twisting in two groups on either side. The pink oyster-like zord split into two, attaching to each end of the green eel-like zord, while the shark zord latched on to the center of the green zord with its mouth. As the megazord landed upright on the ground, the yellow zord also split, each half attaching to one of the tentacle-arms.

"Cool megazord," said Carlos.

The nitarangers ran forward towards the foot of their megazord, disappearing into it. Moments later, the megazord turned to face Katastrophe.

Kat took a moment to admire the megazord, then lunged at it. The megazord swung its lobster-claw hands, blocking her attack, then kicked, striking her with the eel zord's spikes. Tommy visibly flinched as she went tumbling to the ground, but she got back up.

She whipped her tails around, striking the megazord. One of the tails wrapped around the megazord's leg, pulling it upward. The megazord crashed to the ground, but then kicked itself free and got back up.

It raised a lobster-claw hand, and a large plume of water erupted from the sea behind it. The water atop the plume solidified into a large, crystalline saber, which flew towards the megazord. The megazord gripped the sword, pointing it towards Katastrophe.

Kat backed up, looking warily at the sword. The megazord attacked, swinging the crystalline blade, and she ducked out of the way. Then she attacked, trying to keep the blade at a safe distance, but it swung back around. Sparks erupted as the sword connected with her body, sending her flying backwards. She landed on the ground, and energy erupted around her.

"Kat?" Tommy yelled. The flames dissipated, revealing Kat in her human form. He ran over to her, closely followed by the others. "Are you okay?"

She stood, brushing herself off. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He relaxed, then shook his head. "That was crazy."

"It was fun, though." She looked up at the megazord that had defeated her. The nitarangers emerged, and their zords separated and returned to the sea.

"That was a good battle," said Oss'ra. Her armor receded from around her head, just as it had earlier. "You make a good monster."

"Thank you," Kat replied.

"Is that an ability that all your kind possess?" Aid'na asked, looking at the others.

"No," Tommy replied. "It's just the remnant of an old spell that was placed on her."

"I am curious to know more," said Log'no.

"Well, there's a lot to fill you in on," said TJ. He looked up at the sky, where the planet's sun was slowly descending towards the horizon. "What do you guys do here in the evenings?"

"I typically spend evenings in the Hall of Knowledge," Log'no replied. "But tonight I will make an exception."

"We can show them the nitavimbeya," Jun'ga suggested.

"That is a good idea," said Oss'ra.

* * *

"So, what is the nitavimbeya?" TJ asked Zedd. Since the Ostavenians didn't eat regular meals, the humans had returned to their ship for dinner, and Zedd joined them.

"I haven't added all of their terms to the translation discs yet, but perhaps it is better as a surprise."

Karone noticed that her brother looked distracted. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

"Huh?" He glanced at her. "Yeah. Just thinking about Ashley."

Karone nodded understandingly. "When I spoke to Astronema, it was very apparent that Ashley's still in there. She's fighting to regain control."

Andros gave a small smile. "Of course she is. She would never give up."

Zedd looked over at them. "Perhaps it would be easier if she were fighting to regain control over her own body."

"We came to Ostaven to find out the homeworld of the body switcher monsters," said Zhane.

"Cambriona?" Zedd replied, as if the answer were common knowledge. "That would be a temporary solution. Body switcher spells are not permanent."

"Well, we can find out if any body switchers were recruited to switch Karone and Ashley in the first place. And if not, at least a temporary fix would give Ashley a better chance to take back control from Astronema."

"Fair enough." Zedd looked back at Andros. "I can guide this ship to Cambriona. Persuading a body switcher to aid you might be a more difficult task, unless you have some generous form of compensation in mind."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said TJ.

* * *

The nitarangers waited on a flat platform that floated on the water with the help of several pontoons. When Zedd and the humans joined them on the platform, Gor'ko lifted a stake that was holding the platform in place in the shallow water, and the platform began drifting out to sea.

"This is cool," said Zhane, peering over the edge of the platform at the water below. Maya came up beside him, then kneeled down and dipped her hand into the water.

Remembering how the water had felt when she had been immersed in it earlier, Karone felt the urge to jump off the platform, but she decided it wouldn't be proper to do here. Plus, she was curious what the nitarangers wanted to show them, and didn't want to delay it.

Maya withdrew her hand and stared at it, and Karone knew that she was feeling that same energy.

Andros, naturally, was more interested in what was above than below, and looked up at the many stars that were visible in the Ostavenian night sky.

"How far out are we going?" TJ asked Log'no.

"You will see the nitavimbeya soon," he replied. He fixed his eyes on the water in front of them, and TJ did the same.

Abruptly, the water lit up. Streaks of light of various colors passed to and fro below the surface. The humans stared, awed by the beauty of what they were seeing.

"What's causing it?" Zhane asked.

"The vimbe are tiny creatures that live within Nitaven," Zedd replied. "They absorb energy from the water, like the Ostavenians do. When they detect a disturbance, such as the approace of the raft, they unleash their lightshow in order to scare away predators."

"So we're scaring them right now?" TJ asked.

Maya replied before Zedd could. "No, they are not feeling fear… nor anything else."

"They're simple organisms," Zedd added with a shrug. "They don't know emotions, only the movements of the water around them. This is just nature at work."

Karone knelt down beside Maya, staring at the lights displayed by the tiny creatures. There were simple beings like these on hundreds of planets across the universe, but she had never appreciated them like she was now.

"We should not stay long," said Aid'na. "We do not want to force the nitavimbe to expend too much energy."

"That's true," said Zedd. His staff lit up briefly, and the raft began moving back towards the shore.

Suddenly, a loud noise echoed across the sky. The mountainous horizon beyond the city lit up.

"Ostamelior!" shouted Log'no.

"Osta-what?" asked TJ.

"Nitarangers, let's go!" said Aid'na. Zedd's staff lit up again, and the raft lifted out of the water and began flying through the air at a quick pace. Karone crouched down to ensure her balance.

Flying over the city, the raft landed on the mountainside beyond it. There was a flash of light further up the mountainside, and the nitarangers morphed as they began running towards where it had occurred.

"Whatever it is, let's help them, guys," said Andros. "Let's rocket!"

Karone morphed with the others. As Cassie's suit empowered her, however, she felt an additional power. The energy from the water earlier returned to the surface of her skin, making it tingle as the suit pressed gently against it.

"Whoa, that feels weird," said Andros. He was looking down at his legs, and Karone recalled that they had been submerged in the water earlier when he had waded in alongside Gor'ko and Astronema. He was probably feeling the same thing that she was.

He began running after the nitarangers, his legs carrying him faster than ever before. Smiling, Karone took off after him. The energy filled her muscles, and she quickly matched his pace. The other humans' shouts of surprise reached her ears, but she wasn't about to stop and wait for them.

They both stopped, however, when they saw what the nitarangers were fighting. Shadowy figures were descending from the mountains, wearing metal armor and carrying large, metal blades. Two of them lunged at Log'no, but he used his squid weapon to grab them both and throw them aside. There was the sound of metal buckling as Aid'na struck a foe's armor with her sword, causing the attacker to fall backwards. Oss'ra charged another one, holding a shield shaped like an oyster shell out in front of her. Jun'ga fended off attacks with large lobster-claws, while Gor'ko twirled a large, spiked bola around himself.

Wasting little time, Andros joined the fray, and Karone followed. She landed a punch to the chest armor of an attacker, feeling power she had never felt before. She felt the armor buckle beneath the blow until it pushed into the body of the enemy wearing it, and her foe collapsed at her feet.

The other humans finally caught up and joined the fight. "Look out!" shouted Carlos, pointing upwards. Karone looked up to see what looked like a giant catapult launch a boulder down towards the rangers, but Gor'ko struck the boulder with his bola, and it shattered.

"It's like they're from Medieval times," said TJ. Karone knew that he was referring to a period of Earth history, although she didn't really know anything about it.

Gor'ko fended off another boulder from the catapult, and Karone decided to put a stop to its attacks. Surging forwards, she knocked enemies aside as she raced towards the large weapon, the extra power from Nitaven making her unstoppable. Leaping into the air, she landed a hard kick to the catapult's arm as it arced upwards to launch its next boulder, and it snapped cleanly. The boulder careened off course and landed on several enemies, crushing them.

Landing on the ground, she heard angry cries around her as the attackers turned towards her. She looked around. Even with the extra power, she was dangerously outnumbered up here.

Then Andros was there, sweeping enemies aside with the Spiral Saber as he charged after her with his own Nitaven-enhanced speed. He stood back-to-back with her, facing their foes. "Are you crazy?"

"We're stronger than ever," she replied.

"Yes, but that was still reckless." He swung the Spiral Saber as the enemies began closing in on them.

Karone lashed out with a kick at the first of the enemies that tried to reach her, and it was sent tumbling backwards. She landed a hard punch to the helmet of the next one, and it collapsed heavily. "What are these things, anyway?"

"They look like Medieval knights from Earth," said Andros.

Karone grabbed her next attacker by the helmet and pulled it off, revealing the creature beneath. It looked not unlike an Ostavenian, but the skin was black and wrinkled, looking more reptilian than fish-like. The fin atop its head had lost all coloring, and looked shriveled and spiky. Grimacing, Karone kicked the ugly creature away from herself.

Eventually, the nitarangers and the other humans managed to reach them, pushing their enemies further and further back up the mountainside. Karone and Andros joined them in the push, until they reached a ridge.

Beyond the ridge was a flat plateau that was full of enemies. And standing behind the enemies was a massive, scaly creature with four-legs and a large, jagged horn.

"Are you kidding me?" asked Carlos. "They have a massive, alien rhinocerous?"

The creature let out an enormous bellow when it saw the rangers. Then it began charging.


	10. The Fall of Merev 4

**A/N: Hey all! Here's the next chapter. This chapter has some specific references to events in Lost Galaxy, but there will be explanation for those who don't remember what occurred. Keep in mind that Karone's telling of events before she arrived on Terra Venture may not be entirely accurate, as her understanding of them is based on what she heard from her fellow rangers.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize as canon belongs to Hasbro.**

**Chapter 10: The Fall of Merev 4**

The enemies parted as the creature charged, creating an open path to the rangers. The nitarangers wasted no time in turning towards Nitaven. "Eternal Nitaven, we borrow your strength!"

There was no time to watch the zords emerge, and the rangers quickly cleared out of the path of the creature, engaging the attackers once more. The creature stopped at the ridge and turned, trying to stomp on the rangers, but they avoided its attempts.

When the zords reached the ridge, the squid zord wrapped its tentacles around the creature, trying to hold it in place. The creature kicked itself free, then turned and tried to strike the squid zord with its horn. The oyster zord blocked the attack, and sparks flew as the horn struck the zord's hard shell.

"That creature is unnatural," said Maya, who was fighting close to Karone. She landed a hard punch to a foe with the hand that she had dipped in Nitaven earlier, and the foe collapsed. "Its emotions are all negative. Anger. Hatred. It knows nothing but evil."

Karone defeated an attacker and then looked up again. The lobster zord had latched onto the creature's horn, and was clinging tightly as the creature tried to dislodge it. "There's something familiar about it though, isn't there? I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

Maya looked up. "It looks like someone tried to make a copy of the Centaurus Galactabeast, and did a terrible job."

That was it, Karone realized. It did indeed look like someone had tried to recreate the Centaurus, but it was poorly done.

The creature finally managed to throw off the lobster zord, only to be struck in the side by the spiky eel zord. It let out a bellow and turned, retreating away from the zords. Once it was some distance away, it turned again and charged. The squid zord tried to catch it with its tentacles, but was thrown backwards and landed heavily on the ground.

Log'no let out a cry, and began making his way towards his zord, fighting through the sea of attackers in between. TJ came to his aid.

The eel zord threw itself on top of the creature, wrapping around it and digging its spikes in. The creature bellowed again and began trying to shake itself free, to no avail. As it reared up on its hind legs, the shark zord swooped in and latched onto its underbelly. The creature wailed, and its agony was further compounded as the lobster zord latched onto the two legs that were still on the ground. The creature fell heavily onto its side and began writhing, but couldn't free itself from the hold of the zords.

Karone began running towards the creature, clearing enemies in her path. When she reached its head, she leapt up and grabbed onto its horn, pulling herself up. It shook its head violently, but she managed to hold on.

Suddenly, a sword came flying out of nowhere towards her. She let go of the horn, and the sword narrowly missed her as she dropped out of its path. She hit the ground hard, and enemies quickly surrounded her.

They swarmed, and she lashed out, knocking them back. Quickly getting back to her feet, she ducked out of the way of a swinging sword and then lunged, dropping an attacker and scrambling out of the way of more attacks.

"Stop." The attackers immediately stopped as a loud voice echoed across the fray. They parted, and Villamax approached Karone. He held out his hand, and the sword that had forced her off the creature's horn flew back to him.

"Villamax." Karone glared at him. "So, this is your new evil?"

"They are." Villamax sheathed his sword and crossed his arms. "They will aid me in restoring the balance, and preserving the Morphing Grid."

"Well, I have bad news for you. There is a power ranger team here on Ostaven, and they will stop every attempt you make to attack them."

Villamax looked up at where the zords were keeping the Centaurus-like creature pinned on the ground. "So it would seem."

"I guess you'll need a new plan." Karone also looked up at the creature. "By the way, don't you think you could have come up with a more creative monster design than copying the Galactabeasts?"

"The Ostamelior were more eager to attack than I anticipated. There was no time for… creativity."

Karone raised her eyebrows. She had been bluffing, as she hadn't thought that Villamax was actually capable of creating a creature like that. "How did you make it, anyway?"

"With them." Villamax gestured to the armored attackers around him. "I infused one of them with power from the Morphing Grid, increasing his size and power, then molded him into form."

"I see." The creature above let out a bellow as it continued to struggle against the zords. "Well, better luck next time."

"Karone!" Karone turned as Andros battled his way over to her, swinging the Spiral Saber everywhere. He stopped when he saw Villamax. "You."

"You finally caught up, again," Karone commented mildly.

"You have got to stop doing that." Her brother gave her only a brief glance before returning his attention to Villamax. "What are you doing here?"

Karone answered for the villain. "Trying to restore balance to the Morphing Grid, once again. This attempt is no more successful than the previous one."

The attackers began retreating as the rangers pushed them back further. A beam of white light, presumably from Zedd's staff, struck the creature above. It let out one last bellow, then disappeared. The zords returned to the air, and began moving back towards the ridge.

Aid'na and Oss'ra reached Andros and Karone, and looked at Villamax. "Who are you?" Aid'na demanded.

"You may call me whatever you wish," Villamax replied.

"This is Villamax," said Karone. "He's your new arch-nemesis."

Aid'na looked at her for a moment, then back at Villamax. "Is it you who emboldened the Ostamelior, and created that creature?"

"It is." Villamax looked back and forth between the two nitarangers. "I apologize, but I must destroy you. It is necessary to preserve the universe."

"I think you're going to have to pick your battles on some other world," said Karone. "But by all means, take as many losses as you want to here. It does get old after a while."

"You will not succeed in destroying us," said Oss'ra.

"That remains to be determined," Villamax replied. "Next time, you will not have these humans to aid you."

"And still we will defeat you," said Aid'na. "The Ostamelior abandoned Nitaven, and it severely weakened them. They will never be capable of properly aiding you in your cause."

"Then I will find other means." Villamax looked at the others. "Farewell, until we meet again." He teleported away.

Aid'na looked at Andros and Karone. "He is one of your enemies?"

"Yes," Karone replied. "Now he's working with your… Ostamelior. What are the Ostamelior, anyway?"

"The Ostamelior are a result of Astronema's first attack." Aid'na's armor receded from around her head. "When she left, the people were in a panic. We sought any means we could to defend ourselves when she returned. Some of our kin ventured beyond the mountains, away from Nitaven. We worried for them, as we knew they could not survive long away from Nitaven. But, somehow, they did."

Oss'ra's armor also receded. "Being away from Nitaven changed them. They became weak and shriveled, but they also became savage. They drew metal from beneath the ground to create armor and weapons, and then they attacked us. We tried to get them to see reason, but they could no longer recognize us as kin."

"Melior means 'lost ones.'" Zedd appeared beside his rangers, looking somber.

"So, that's what you're up against," said Andros. He looked at the fallen Ostamelior scattered around the battlefield. "What if you brought them back to Nitaven? Can't it restore them?"

"We tried," said Aid'na. "We captured some of them and brought them to Nitaven, but it could not restore them. They are no longer what they once were."

"It's evolution," said Zedd. "The Ostamelior have adapted to their new environment, and can no longer return to their old one. They have become a new species entirely."

"It has been a long time since they attacked as ferociously as they did tonight," said Oss'ra. "Your Villamax has made them more dangerous."

"Still, you'll defeat them," said Andros.

"We do not desire their defeat." Oss'ra looked in the direction the Ostamelior had retreated. "We desire to restore them, but we do not know how."

"You may not be able to," said Zedd.

"Then we must defeat them," said Aid'na. "Or at least, we must defeat this Villamax, and then the Ostamelior will again no longer be such a threat."

"You will," said Karone.

* * *

Karone awoke feeling like her body was burning. She groaned, looking around.

"You feel it, too?" Maya looked over at her. She was clutching her hand, the one that she had dipped in Nitaven the night before. "It feels like my hand is on fire."

"My whole body feels that way." Karone struggled into a sitting position, then slowly got to her feet.

"You were submerged in Nitaven," said Maya. "I dipped my hand in there. The energy must have worn off, leaving this pain behind."

"We should go back in," said Karone. She opened the door to the hallway and stepped out, looking around. Andros and Zhane were standing a little ways off, and Andros was clearly in pain as well. "Andros!"

Andros looked at her and grimaced, rubbing his leg. "Good morning."

"We should go back into Nitaven. That has to be the reason for this pain."

Zhane held out his hand to stop her. "I don't think that's a good idea. The Ostavenians are dependent on Nitaven. You don't want to develop that same dependence."

Karone frowned at him. "You're not feeling the pain that we're feeling right now."

"That's what I said," Andros muttered.

"I know," Zhane replied. "But please, you have to trust me."

TJ and Carlos appeared in the hallway, looking at what was going on. "He's right," said TJ. "What you're going through right now is some kind of withdrawal."

Karone rounded on him. "You have no idea what I'm feeling right now."

"You're right. But I've seen withdrawal before. It isn't fun, but it is necessary."

"We just have to go back in the water." Karone felt her muscles tightening as the fire lanced through them, and she groaned. "We need to."

"We can't let you do that," said Carlos.

"They're right, Karone." Tommy and Kat appeared behind the other Terrans. They were clutching each other's hands, their knuckles white. "We feel it, too, but we know we can't go back in there."

"If it makes you feel better, Astronema's probably going through the same thing," Zhane offered.

That didn't make Karone feel better at all, as a fresh flame scorched her insides. She cried out.

Andros grunted, falling back against the wall behind him. He slowly slid down it.

"D.E.C.A., do we have anything to make them feel better?" Zhane asked.

"Might I suggest a cryogenic treatment?" D.E.C.A. replied. "It will dull the burning sensation."

"That's a good idea," Zhane replied. He helped lift Andros off the wall.

Karone would much rather have returned to Nitaven, but she allowed TJ and Carlos to guide her to the Sickbay.

* * *

It felt like hours later when TJ, Carlos, and Zhane reentered the Sickbay. They were accompanied by Zedd, who was levitating Astronema with his staff. She was still wrapped in the cocoon, and glared at Zedd when he deposited her unceremoniously on the table beside the one Karone was occupying.

"D.E.C.A., can you administer the cryogenic treatment while she is contained like that?" Zhane asked.

"I don't want your help," Astronema snapped. Then she let out a groan.

"Are you sure about that?" Andros asked. His legs were wrapped in the white fabric that D.E.C.A. was using for the treatment.

Astronema grinned at him. "Ashley's feeling it more than I am. The pain is unbearable for her. It's weakening her further."

"You're lying," Andros replied.

"Believe what you want, Red Ranger. Your Lady Love is suffering." She winced.

Zedd waved his staff over her, and she promptly passed out. "D.E.C.A., apply the treatment."

"She's lying, isn't she?" Andros asked. "Ashley wouldn't be feeling the pain more than Astronema."

"There's no reason why there would be any such difference," Zedd replied. "Don't let her get to you."

Zhane walked over to Maya. "How are you feeling?" he asked quietly.

"Better." She glanced at her wrapped hand, and he reached out and covered it with his own.

Karone watched the gesture warily. "When are we leaving for Cambriona?"

"We already have," TJ replied. "You were out of it for a little while."

Karone frowned. She hadn't realized she had been unconscious at all. And she was disappointed that she didn't get to say goodbye to Oss'ra and the others. "I would have liked to say goodbye to the nitarangers."

"We explained your situation, and they understood," said Zhane. "Besides, you'll see them again when we drop Zedd off."

Karone sighed. "Fine. How long will it take us to get there?"

"It will be a few days," Zedd replied. "Try to rest. Let the treatment do its work."

* * *

When those few days were up, Karone was still feeling a slight tingle beneath her skin. By this point, however, she was mostly just impressed by the strength of the effect that the waters of Nitaven had on her.

"We are arriving at Cambriona," D.E.C.A. announced. Everyone went to the bridge and looked at the screen. A green planet rotated at the center of the image, but all attention was drawn to the large warships that surrounded the planet. They looked like giant birds, with vast wings that arced outward.

"I don't recognize those ships," said Andros.

"They're Merevian ships," Zedd said quietly.

Karone frowned at him. "You told Dark Specter that you wiped out the Merevians."

"I did wipe them out," Zedd replied, not taking his eyes off the screen.

"Well, apparently there are enough left to pilot an entire fleet."

Zedd looked at Zhane. "We should stay out of their sight. They could just as soon blast us out of the galaxy as speak with us."

"D.E.C.A., you heard him. Let's stay out of their range for now."

"Who are the Merevians?" Andros asked.

Zedd looked down. "The Merevians were a race of proud, powerful warriors from Merev 4. Centuries ago, Dark Specter sent me to conscript them into his forces, but they refused to join. So, I laid waste to the planet."

"I suppose I shouldn't be surprised," said Andros. "Could there have been survivors?"

"Not on the planet, no. A few of them had managed to sneak aboard my ship, but their morale broke upon seeing their people destroyed. I captured them, and executed them one-by-one, until the very last of the race finally agreed to join Dark Specter." Zedd fell silent for a moment. "He was completely broken."

"As the last of his race, how could he not be?" said TJ, staring at the ships on the screen. "If there is only one Merevian left, he can't be the one piloting those ships."

"If he's even still alive." Zedd glanced at the screen. "I don't know what became of Loyax, or if he survived the Zordon Wave."

"Loyax?" Everyone turned as Maya spoke. Karone's eyes widened as she recognized the name. Leo had told her the story, and she understood the aghast expression on Maya's face as she stared at Zedd. "You're the one who wiped out his people?"

"You know him?"

Maya looked down. "He's dead." Then she turned and left the bridge.

"Maya?" Zhane immediately went after her.

Karone looked around at the others, who were turning to her for an explanation. "The Galaxy Rangers encountered Loyax shortly before I joined them. He had been brought into Trakeena's service, and she ordered him to destroy them. But he was a noble soldier. He demanded an honorable duel with Maya."

"I'm sure she was opposed to that idea," said TJ.

"She was. But he was faced with certain death, whether from her or from Trakeena. He chose to die by her hand."

"No wonder his name affected her so much," said Kat. She looked at Zedd. "I doubt very much that she's fond of you at the moment."

"I don't blame her," said Zedd. He looked at the screen. "So, the Merevians are indeed extinct."

"Then who's piloting those ships?" Andros asked.

Zedd shook his head. "The Merevian ships are not easy to fly. I tried myself."

"Let's stay out of range. Maybe there's some way we can find out without them spotting us."

Karone glanced towards the doorway that Maya had disappeared through. "You guys figure out how to do that. I'm going to check on Maya." Leaving the bridge, she walked over to their shared room.

She found Zhane sitting against the wall outside the room. He looked up at her glumly. "She's pretty upset."

Karone gave him a sympatheric glance, then knocked on the door. "It's Karone."

It was a moment before Maya replied. "Come in."

Karone opened the door and shut it behind her. Maya sat on her bed, tears still fresh on her cheeks. "You okay?"

Maya looked at her for a moment. "You did such horrible things. Just like he did."

"Yes." Karone sat down on her own bed. "We're both very different people now."

"I know." Maya looked down, shaking her head. "I just can't believe he's the one who… Loyax was so… broken."

Karone nodded understandingly.

"I don't know if I can look at him."

"You can sense his feelings. You know that he feels remorse for what he did."

Maya nodded. After a moment, she looked at Karone. "He's better about that than you are."

Karone frowned. "What does that mean?"

"You think of Astronema as a different person."

Karone raised her eyebrows. Before she could reply, however, D.E.C.A.'s announcement sounded through the ship. "One of the Merevian ships is approaching."

Karone sighed. "So much for staying out of range." Standing, she went to the door, and Maya got up and followed her out. Zhane was already rushing back towards the bridge.

When they got there, they found the others staring at the screen, watching as the large warship drew closer.

"D.E.C.A., try to hail them," said Andros.

"We don't even know who they are," said Zhane.

"We don't have a choice."

"D.E.C.A., do it."

The transmission was sent. Several seconds later, the image on the screen changed, revealing a trio of feathered creatures with large beaks.

Tommy, Kat, and Zedd all stared at the screen, stunned. "Tenga?"


	11. Astronema Lives

**A/N: Hey all. Moving right along, here's the next chapter. This chapter contains another of the very first scenes that I wrote for this story, and it should be obvious which one it is. It's been a long time coming.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: What you recognize as canon belongs to Hasbro.**

**Chapter 11: Astronema Lives**

"Humans? What are you doing here?" one of the tenga demanded.

"We could ask you the same thing, tenga," Andros replied.

"Yes, but we asked first."

"We're here for one of the body switchers. We need one of them to… help us with something."

"We have cut off all communication and transportation to and from the body switcher homeworld."

"You're blockading them? Why?" Zhane asked.

"They must agree to our demands."

"And what demands are those?"

"That is none of your business, human."

Andros and Zhane exchanged a glance, and then looked around at the others.

After a moment, Zedd stepped forward. "Tenga, if you will grant us an audience with the Silverwing, perhaps we can help you negotiate with the body switchers."

"Negotiate? They will agree to our demands or they will starve."

"That will take a long time. We can help you arrive at an agreement faster."

The tenga exchanged glances for a moment. "We will confer, and then respond to you." The screen went black.

"They seemed unusually coherent for tenga," Kat commented.

"And you said the Merevian ships were difficult to fly," Tommy added, looking at Zedd. "How could the tenga be intelligent enough to fly them?"

"They're a hive mind," Zedd replied.

"A what?"

"Various species across the universe have hive minds, a sort of collective intelligence. The more of them are gathered in an area, the smarter they are. Since Rito only brought me a handful of tenga, they never seemed particularly intelligent to you."

"Great," muttered Kat. "And they were tough to beat sometimes even when they were dumb."

"At the center of the hive mind is a tenga called the Silverwing. He coordinates the intelligence and masterminds their strategies."

"That brings a whole new meaning to the term 'bird brain,'" said TJ.

The screen came alive again again, and the three tenga were visible. "Three of you will be permitted to speak with the Silverwing."

"I'm going," Karone said immediately. She didn't want to miss this.

"So am I," said Andros.

Zhane looked at each of them in turn. Then he sighed, and turned to Zedd. "You should go as well, since you know what we're dealing with."

"Very well," Zedd replied.

"Prepare to be teleported," said one of the tenga.

"Wait, what?" Andros snapped his eyes back to the screen, but it went black again.

Moments later, Karone felt an energy begin to pulse around herself. White light filled her vision, and a humming sound drowned out all other noises. When the sensations faded, she was standing in a large, white chamber, and surrounded by tenga. Andros and Zedd appeared beside her.

Standing in front of them was a tenga wearing silver ornaments on his head and wings. The focal-point of his crown was a large, dark-blue jewel, and the bracers on his wings were adorned with smaller jewels of the same color.

"Humans." The Silverwing regarded them disdainfully. "You would speak with the body switchers?"

"Yes," Andros replied.

"Why?"

"We need one's help."

"This you have already said. What is it that you need?"

Andros hesitated, and glanced at Karone. She spoke up. "My body has been switched with one of my friends. I'm stuck in her body, and she's in mine."

"This was done by a body switcher?"

"No… Well, we don't know. But we need one of the body switchers to undo it."

The Silverwing studied her for a moment. "You do not seem uncomfortable in that body."

"Well, it's been over a week now. But I would still like my own body back."

"If you have waited over a week, then you can wait longer. Once the body switchers agree to our demands, you will be free to say whatever you wish to them."

"Then let us go and speak with them," said Zedd. "We will convince them to agree to your demands."

"And what persuasion would you have over the body switchers?"

Zedd held out his hand, and his staff formed in a beam of light. "I was once known as Lord Zedd. Some of your kind served me."

Many of the tenga took a step back, then lowered spears towards him.

"I'm not sure that was a way to get them to like you," Andros muttered.

"Lord Zedd was no human," said the Silverwing.

"Indeed, I am not."

"And he was destroyed in the Zordon Wave."

"No, I was changed. The Zordon Wave cleansed me of evil, and gave me this form."

The Silverwing looked skeptical. "Even if your unlikely claim is true, I see no reason why the body switchers should give credance to you in that pathetic, 'cleansed' form."

Zedd frowned.

Karone hesitated before offering her next idea. "Would they be persuaded by Astronema?"

The Silverwing looked at her sharply. "You would have us believe that Astronema also lives?"

"She does. We have her captured aboard our ship."

The Silverwing was silent for a moment. Then he turned to some of his tenga. "Board the human vessel and capture all of the humans. Bring Astronema to me."

"No, wait!" said Andros. He took a step forward, but more of the tenga aimed their spears, and he froze.

"Oops," Karone whispered, shutting her eyes. She should have kept her mouth shut.

Surrounded by armed tenga, they were powerless, and could do nothing but wait until the others were teleported into the chamber, surrounded by tenga. A pair of tenga carried Astronema over to the Silverwing, placing her down in front of him.

Astronema looked up at the Silverwing. "Leader of the tenga, set me free and I will be forever grateful."

"I am counting on that." The Silverwing drew a knife and cut through the cocoon, freeing her.

Astronema quickly got to her feet, grinning, then turned to the humans. "How quickly the tables turn." She walked up to Karone. "This time, I'm not going to destroy you quickly. I'm going to make you watch as I reestablish my control over the universe." She turned back to the Silverwing. "And the tenga will rule at my side, of course."

"You won't win," said Karone. "You never do."

Astronema glanced at her over her shoulder. "You said that last time."

"And then I beat you."

"And yet I'm here, free as these birds, and you're surrounded by enemy spears."

Karone glared at her.

Astronema turned to Andros. "And as for our dear brother…" Karone raised her eyebrows at the use of the term 'our' as Astronema walked over to him. "I'm not sure I can let you live, Red Ranger. After all, your death might be what finally shuts Ashley up, once and for all."

"You won't get away with this," said Andros.

"Yes, I will." Astronema turned to the Silverwing again. "Do you have anywhere to store them for the time being? Then we can discuss the body switchers."

The Silverwing turned to his tenga. "Teleport them to the storage room on the bottom deck."

Karone watched as a pair of tenga went over to a machine against the far wall. They pushed a series of buttons, and then Karone felt the energy surround her again. When the light and noise faded, she and the others were standing in a nondescript room with a large window overlooking the planet below. Gray crates lined the walls on each side of the room.

Tommy immediately went and tried the door, but it was locked. "Great," he muttered.

TJ turned to Zedd. "You can teleport out of here, can't you?"

"And accomplish what?" Zedd looked at him mildly. "I can't exactly defeat them all on my own. Even if I were to set us free, there are hundreds of them for every one of us. Even the Power Rangers can't beat those odds."

Carlos glanced at the planet through the window. "What if you were to teleport down to the planet? Maybe the body switchers could help us somehow."

"If the body switchers had any means of fighting back against the tenga, they would have done so by now."

Zhane sighed. "There has to be something we can do."

"I wonder what's in these crates." Tommy walked over to one of the crates and opened it. "This looks like some kind of fruit."

Zedd walked over and glanced over his shoulder. "Sonderberries from Zevyr? I haven't had one of these in millenia." He picked one up and popped it into his mouth, then quickly spit it out. "These are definitely past their prime."

"Great, rotten fruit," said Zhane. "That seems extremely useful."

Karone stared at the planet through the window, an idea slowly beginning to come together in her mind. "Maybe we don't need the body switchers to fight for us. Maybe we just need one of them."

"What do you have in mind?" Kat asked.

Karone turned to Zedd. "Bring one of the body switchers here."

Zedd glanced at the planet. "Well, I suppose I'll get to see how well I can persuade them after all." He disappeared in a flash of light.

Karone turned back to the planet. Then she turned again, seeing all eyes in the room on her. She began walking back and forth, trying to fill out the rest of her half-baked plan.

"Karone, you're pacing," her brother pointed out.

"I know." She didn't stop.

"What are you planning?" Carlos asked.

Karone didn't stop or answer. She needed to think. "Give me a minute."

It was several minutes before anyone spoke again, and that wasn't to her. Zhane walked over to Maya. "Are you okay?" he asked her quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She glanced at the planet, looking impatient. Then she turned and walked away from Zhane, sitting down against the nearest crate.

It was several more minutes before Andros spoke. "Karone, what's your idea? Maybe we can help you."

Karone sighed and turned to her brother. "I'm going to—"

She was cut off as Astronema teleported into the room. She had apparently returned to the Z-Ship, as she now had her wig and the Wrath Staff once more. "Hello, rangers."

"What do you want?" asked Carlos, glaring at her.

Astronema looked around. "Where's Zedd?"

"He had to use the bathroom."

"Very funny." Astronema looked around again, then walked over to Maya, lowering the tip of her staff towards her. "Sweet little girl of Mirinoi, tell me. Where is Zedd?"

"Leave her alone," said Zhane.

Astronema looked at Zhane, smiling. "Aw, how cute. I remember when that affection was directed at me." She walked over to him, bringing her face close to his. "It was sickening."

"You didn't seem to feel that way at the time."

Astronema nodded towards Karone. "That was her fault." She moved the Wrath Staff so that its point was inches from Zhane's face, but he didn't flinch. "I did enjoy that marshmallow, though. Thanks for the tip."

"You're welcome."

"Astronema, why did you come in here?" Andros asked.

Astronema glanced at him, then through the window at the planet. Then she turned to Karone. "Come, my dear. You and I need to have a little chat."

Karone frowned as Astronema approached. Could she have realized that Karone was planning something? Karone had beaten her before because she knew how Astronema thought. Maybe Astronema was realizing that she also knew how Karone thought.

That wouldn't be good.

Astronema reached out and took Karone's arm. Just as she was about to teleport, however, Zedd reappeared with a body switcher.

Astronema turned, and Karone acted quickly. With her free hand, she pulled the wig from Astronema's head, knocking it to the ground. Astronema looked down, her grip loosening, and Karone broke free and quickly grabbed the Wrath Staff. She retreated several paces, aiming the staff at Astronema.

Astronema stared at the tip of the staff that was now aimed at her. "Body switcher, aid me."

The body switcher looked back and forth between her and Zedd. "You promise you'll get rid of the tenga if I help you?" he asked Zedd.

"Yes, I promise," Zedd assured him.

"He can't do anything against the tenga," said Astronema. "I can. Aid me, and your planet will be free of them."

The body switcher looked at her. "Astronema? One of my kind was destroyed while serving you."

"Exactly. They destroyed him." She gestured at the rangers. "And they're about to destroy me. Please, I need your help."

The body switcher looked back and forth between her and Zedd again, and a hand came up to scratch his horn. "What is it that you want me to do?" he asked Astronema.

Astronema grinned. "Destroy the rangers. Then you'll be rid of the tenga once and for all."

"And how will you make the tenga go away?"

"The tenga think I'm their ally. They'll listen to what I say."

The body switcher looked back and forth between her and Zedd again, then around at the rangers. "Are all of you power rangers? There are a lot of you."

"You can beat them," said Astronema.

The body switcher looked around again, then back at Zedd. "And what is it that you want me to do?"

Zedd looked at Karone. "Karone?"

Karone thought quickly. This wasn't her plan, but perhaps this was a better opportunity. "Switch mine and Astronema's bodies."

Astronema glared at her.

"Uh, is that all?" the body switcher asked. He flicked a hand towards her, and Karone suddenly felt her own body once more. She looked down at herself, smiling. It had been far too long.

The body switcher flicked his hand again, and Astronema was turned into Ashley. She glared at the monster, then at Karone.

"There we go," said Karone. "It feels good to have my body back. And Ashley must like having her body back as well."

"It doesn't matter whose body this is. I'm still in control."

"And who are you?"

"I am Astronema."

"No, you're not." Karone began going back over her earlier thoughts. In the back of her mind, she had been turning over Maya's last comment before their conversation was interrupted by D.E.C.A. 'You think of Astronema as a different person.' Maya was right. Karone and Astronema weren't different people at all. "I'm Astronema. I have been all along."

A frown fell across Ashley's face.

Karone picked up the wig and placed it on her own head. Then she raised the Wrath Staff, studying the familiar feel of it in her hand. She could feel the dark energy that pulsed from it. "I thought I defeated Astronema for the last time after I became a Galaxy Ranger. But I didn't. It was just an illusion of my past. Astronema was still there. She'll still be there for as long as I live." She closed her eyes and gripped the staff tightly, feeling the darkness mingle with her own, the darkness that she had long ignored.

Opening her eyes again, she turned to Ashley, who looked confused. "You're just a memory, created by the dark energy of the Wrath Staff when Villamax awoke it. Ashley's curiosity about Astronema gave you the perfect foothold to take over, but you were never truly Astronema."

Ashley glared for a moment, but then she quickly looked down. Her head gave a quick jerk, and she whispered something under her breath.

"Ashley?" Andros asked.

Her head jerked again, and her inaudible mantra continued.

Karone could sense the Wrath Staff reabsorbing its own energy as Ashley fought to expel it.

The mantra became a little louder. "I'm Ashley Hammond. First runner-up to valedictorian, half-decent mechanic and engineer, amateur fashion writer, former cheerleader. I'm Ashley Hammond. First runner-up to valedictorian, half-decent mechanic and engineer, amateur fashion writer, former cheerleader…"

Andros let out a breath, a smile crossing his face.

The mantra became louder still. "I'm Ashley Hammond. First runner-up to valedictorian, half-decent mechanic and engineer, amateur fashion writer, former cheerleader…"

"You're forgetting the fun parts," said Andros. "Amazing dancer, friend, girlfriend." He was smiling widely now.

Ashley stopped her mantra and looked at him. "Andros!" Getting to her feet, she ran to him, throwing her arms around him.

"Ashley." He hugged her tightly.

Karone watched as tears appeared in her brother's eyes. She smiled, then felt a dark revulsion at her own reaction. "Body switcher, lift the spell."

"What?" Ashley quickly pulled away from Andros and turned to her, looking aghast. Andros frowned.

"Uh, really?" The body switcher looked back and forth between them, looking thoroughly confused by what was going on. "Um, okay." He flicked his hands towards each of them again, but nothing happened. "Huh? It didn't work."

"Yes, it did," said Karone. "It's just that the spell which originally swapped our bodies in the first place also wore off. My spell."

The rangers stared at her. "Your spell?" Andros asked.

"Yes. It wasn't conscious, of course. I didn't know I was doing it at the time. I had been ignoring the darkness within me, even as it manifested from time to time on Terra Venture and Mirinoi. The love of conflict, the instinct to fight. It's what I was raised with. I had been suppressing that darkness for over a year, and the power that went with it. But that created insecurities I didn't realize, and some of that power leaked out.

"Insecurities?" Andros raised his eyebrows. "You're Karone. You've been Karone for over a year now."

She corrected him. "I've always been Karone. But I'm also Astronema. By trying to suppress that part of me, I wasn't being all of myself. Now I feel whole again, for the first time in a long time. That's why the spell is gone."

"I really don't understand what's going on here," said the body switcher. He turned to Zedd. "Can we deal with the tenga now?"

Andros grimaced, glancing at the monster only briefly before looking back at his sister.

"I think I understand," said Ashley, causing everyone to look at her. "Even if that wasn't truly Astronema in my mind, I could feel… what she would be thinking, I guess. You and she are the same person."

Karone glanced over at Maya, who was still sitting against the crate. There was a small smile on the Galaxy Ranger's face, even though her eyes showed some wariness as she looked at Karone.

Then the door opened, and the Silverwing entered the room, followed by several other tenga. "What is the meaning of this?" the Silverwing demanded, looking at the body switcher. Then he looked at Karone. "What are you doing in here?"

"They brought the body switcher here to try to trick me," said Karone. That had been her original plan, after all. "But it didn't work."

The Silverwing looked back at the monster, then at his tenga. "Kill the body switcher." The tenga aimed their spears.

Zedd quickly reached out for the monster, teleporting them away.

"What?" the Silverwing yelled, looking around. "Where did they go?"

"They probably went back to the planet," said Karone. She approached the tenga. "Don't worry, they can't do anything to hurt you."

The Silverwing looked at her suspiciously. "Why did you come in here?"

"Just for a chat." Karone gave a nonchalant shrug. "Don't worry, I'm not betraying you. Do you think I'm foolish enough to want thousands of tenga in warships as my enemies? Plus, I still owe you for freeing me from that cocoon."

"Yes, you do," said the Silverwing. "A debt you will shortly have the opportunity to repay. Let us discuss the body switchers." He turned and led the tenga out of the room. Karone followed. She turned and glanced back at the rangers, then shut and locked the door.

Once they were back up in the white chamber, the Silverwing turned to her. "You will speak with the body switchers on our behalf, and force them to do what I say."

"What do you want with them, anyway?" Karone asked.

The Silverwing looked around at his tenga. "We will use them to retake our homeworld. Earth."

"Earth?" Karone showed the tenga her genuine surprise.

The Silverwing turned back to her. "Our ancestors evolved on Earth, just as yours did. The humans made us their enemies. We were smarter and more advanced, but they quickly grew to outnumber us. They forced us to flee our homeworld, and wander the stars for millenia."

Karone stared at him. The story was bizarre, but why would the tenga be making it up?

"We will have the body switchers make us appear human. Then we will infiltrate Earth, and weaken the human defenses from within. We will cause them to distrust one another, sow the seeds of doubt and conflict among them. Then, when they are weak enough, we will retake our homeworld."

Karone frowned, thinking quickly. "You have an entire fleet of warships. Why don't you just attack Earth directly?"

"The humans have defenses. They defeated you when you attacked."

"I only had the Dark Fortress." With the Merevian fleet at her disposal, she certainly could have taken Earth. And there would have been a great deal of destruction to go with it.

The Silverwing considered her words for a moment. "We do not wish to damage our homeworld. We only want to destroy the humans that occupy it."

Karone shrugged. "Very well. I will speak with the body switchers for you." That, at least, would give her time to come up with something.

"Good. I think we will work very well together, Queen Astronema."

Karone felt satisfactiton arise at the title, and smiled. "I agree. Where can I prepare to speak with them?"

The Silverwing glanced at one of his tenga. "Show her to the rear living quarters." The tenga nodded, and beckoned to Karone. She followed him out of the chamber.

Down several hallways, the tenga stopped in front of a door. "Here you are, Queen Astronema." The tenga gave a respectful bow. "You will be undisturbed here."

"Good. Thank you." The respect that the tenga showed thrilled her, and she smiled as she entered the room, looking around. It was a modest bedchamber, but certainly larger than the room she had shared with Maya aboard the Z-Ship.

Shutting the door, she walked over to the large window. She was on the wrong side of the ship for seeing the planet, but she could see several of the other Merevian warships waiting in orbit around the planet. She wondered if each of them had as many tenga aboard as this one did. If that were the case, they had a substantial force with which to invade Earth.

She recalled her own attacks on the planet. If only she had had this many ships. The rangers could never have stopped her…

But the tenga didn't want that level of destruction wrought on the planet, so she would do it their way. Even though it would take much longer.

Turning from the window, she looked at a small table that sat out of the way in the corner of the room. It didn't appear to serve any purpose. She looked at the Wrath Staff for a moment, then aimed it at the table. She shut her eyes, feeling the power flow through her. Then she opened them again, and glared at the table. A burst of purple lightning shot out from the staff and shattered it.

The power swelled within her, and she shut her eyes again, smiling. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.

She opened her mouth, and her voice came out in a low, sinister whisper. "I'm back."


	12. Birds of a Feather

**A/N: Hey all! Like many others, I'm working from home for the time being due to the pandemic. Hopefully, this will give me the chance to get a healthy amount of writing done and out to you all. I hope all of you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: What you recognize as canon belongs to Hasbro.**

**Chapter 12: Birds of a Feather**

The forest landscape that surrounded her reminded her of Mirinoi. Pushing away the memories that such a thought raised, she focused on the primitive village in front of her.

"Astronema?" A pair of body switchers approached her cautiously. One of them gave a short, jerky bow. "Your Evilness, we are pleased by your return, and honored by your presence. What brings you to our humble homeworld?"

"You seem to have a problem with some angry birds. I'm here to help you with that issue." Behind these two monsters, she saw Zedd approaching with a body switcher that must have been the same one from earlier.

The body switcher that had just spoken bowed again. "We would be deeply grateful if you would rid us of the tenga that blockade our world."

"Astronema," said Zedd, giving her a nod. She could see the wariness in his eyes as he studied her.

"Zedd," she replied, before returning her attention to the body switchers. "The tenga want you to make them appear human, so that they may infiltrate Earth."

"We know. But we don't want to help them. All they do is try to bully us."

"If you're cut off from trade for too long, your people will starve."

The monster crossed his arms. "We will survive on the fruits of our own labor, as our ancestors did for millenia."

"You are not your ancestors. And, sooner or later, the tenga will grow impatient. You have no defenses against all those warships."

"That is why we beg you to help us, Your Evilness. Surely you are powerful enough to defeat the tenga."

She sighed, and glanced at Zedd. He looked at the body switcher who was doing the talking. "Perhaps this parley would be best continued over a meal, as befits your traditions."

"Agreed," the monster replied. "Come. We will provide a feast that befits your magnificent return."

"Thank you," she replied. She watched as the body switchers turned back towards their village, and Zedd approached her.

"So… Astronema, is it?" he asked quietly.

"Karone," she assured him. "But, best that they think of me as Astronema."

He nodded, although there was still some wariness in his gaze. "The tenga are planning to invade Earth?"

"Yes. It's their homeworld, too, apparently."

"Really?" He looked upwards, though the ships weren't visible through the sunlit atmosphere. "That's… interesting."

"I'm surprised you didn't know that, as ancient as you are."

"Many Eltarians took an interest in the diverse evolution of life on Earth. I was not one of them."

They followed the body switchers into a huge tent at the center of the village. A large, round table circled the interior of the tent, and on it were wooden trays of strange foods.

"As you can see, we are fully capable of providing for ourselves during this blockade." The body switchers gestured around at the food on the trays.

There were also several body switchers in the tent, and they bowed towards Karone when she entered. Karone looked around at all of them. The body switchers may not have been numerous enough to make an army, but there were certainly enough to create havoc.

Suddenly, a new idea occurred to her, and she turned to Zedd. "I have a plan."

* * *

It was maybe an hour later when she teleported back up to the Silverwing's warship.

"Finally," said the Silverwing. "Tell me the result of the negotiation."

She frowned at his impatience. "You'd best show me more respect, or our alliance will be brief."

The Silverwing looked down for a moment. "I apologize, Queen Astronema. Please excuse my impatience. The tenga have waited millenia to return to our homeworld."

"You will not have to wait much longer, I assure you." She looked around at the other tenga in the chamber. "Might we speak in private?"

"The tenga have no secrets from each other. Our minds are one. I coordinate their thoughts."

She pretended to be confused. "What does that mean?"

"The tenga are all connected to each other through a common intelligence. I use that common intelligence to coordinate strategies."

"So, what would happen if you were to be separated from them? Would they be unable to think in such an organized fashion? Would you?"

"That would never happen. Everywhere I go, the tenga go."

"I apologize for the suggestion. I am simply curious about your kind."

"Were I far enough away that I could not connect with them, they would still have our collective intelligence to work with. They would not be able to coordinate their thoughts on their own, however. It would take far longer to plan strategies."

"Interesting. I don't think I've ever met a species like that before."

"There are some, scattered across the galaxy." The Silverwing looked around. "Now, I have answered your questions. What came of your discussion with the body switchers?"

"They have decided to agree to your demands."

Several of the tenga made joyful noises. "At last," said the Silverwing. "Thank you, Queen Astronema." He turned to his tenga. "Teleport some of the body switchers here, so they may begin."

"Wait," Karone interjected, and the Silverwing looked back at her sharply. "They asked that they be given time. Apparently, their magic takes time to prepare."

"How long?"

"A couple of hours, at most."

"Very well. They will be given two hours, and then we will teleport them here."

Karone nodded. "I am going to go taunt the humans some more." She gave a wicked smile for good measure before teleporting into the storage room.

The rangers were immediately on their guard when she appeared.

"Relax, it's me." Karone looked around at them, then turned to her brother and Ashley, who probably hadn't left each other's side the whole time she'd been gone.

Ashley looked warily at the Wrath Staff. "Have you been carrying that around with you the whole time?"

"It's just part of the act. I'm in control, I promise." She placed the staff down on the floor to assuage their concerns.

"What's going on up there?" Carlos asked. "What do the tenga want with the body switchers?"

"They're planning to disguise themselves, and invade Earth."

"What?" Tommy demanded. "That's not happening. We'll put a stop to it."

Karone gave him a mild glance. "I already am."

Tommy and Andros exchanged a glance. "How can we help?" Tommy asked.

"By staying in here and not giving anything away."

Andros sighed. "Fine. At least tell us what the plan is."

* * *

She was back in the private quarters the tenga had provided her when two tenga teleported in. She looked up sharply, but one of the tenga waved its wing, and the illusion was lifted to reveal Zedd and a body switcher. "Everything is ready," said Zedd.

"Good. I'm sure you enjoyed using your telepathy to tap into the tenga collective intelligence."

"It was surprisingly easy. The Silverwing does a good job of keeping the hive mind organized."

Karone gave a wry smile. "It's a shame he'll be apart from them for a while. You know everything you need to know about these ships?"

"That and more."

"And the body switchers have done their part?"

The body switcher bowed. "We have, Your Evilness."

"Good. In that case, escort me to the Silverwing."

The body switcher restored the illusions on himself and Zedd, and they led Karone out of her room and back to the white chamber.

"It is almost time to teleport the body switchers here," said the Silverwing.

"Yes," Karone replied. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Zedd went over to the console.

He had just made it to the machine when the Silverwing looked over at him. "I have not yet given the order."

Zedd froze, and turned to the Silverwing. "Forgive my impatience."

Karone watched the Silverwing eye Zedd suspiciously. "I'm sure you're all impatient. The body switchers must be prepared by now. Let's get this over with."

The Silverwing looked at her, then back at Zedd. After a moment, he spoke. "I agree. Do it."

Zedd turned back to the console and pushed several buttons. Suddenly, all of the real tenga in the chamber except for the Silverwing were teleported out. Pushing several more buttons, Zedd turned the ship around and began guiding it away from the planet.

"What are you doing?" The Silverwing demanded. As he started to approach Zedd, the body switcher lifted the illusions, then placed himself between the Silverwing and his target. Suddenly faced with the monster, the Silverwing backed up, then rounded on Karone. "What is the meaning of this betrayal?"

Karone shrugged. "I'm a more complicated person than you think I am, Silverwing."

"I'm engaging the Star Drive," said Zedd. "Brace yourselves."

Karone did so, feeling the ship lurch as it began zooming towards Earth. She pulled out Cassie's communicator and spoke into it. "Still with us, Zhane?"

"Yup. D.E.C.A.s got her firmly attached beneath your wing." After Karone had explained the plan, Zhane had convinced her to teleport him back to the Z-Ship to assist D.E.C.A. with the maneuver.

"We can leave this room now, right?" asked Carlos.

"Yes," Karone replied.

"Finally."

"You will pay for this!" the Silverwing declared. "All humans will be wiped out!"

"By who?" Zedd asked mildly. "Your tenga are trapped back there on disabled warships, and no longer have your guidance of the hive mind to assist them in repairs."

"Not to mention, several of my kind are hidden among them," added the body switcher. "Your people will pay for blockading us."

The Silverwing glared at each of them in turn. "Where are we going?" he asked finally.

"Earth," Karone replied. "You will have the opportunity to explain your situation to the humans diplomatically, without the benefit of any illusions to trick them."

"Diplomacy? The humans have no interest in diplomacy. They forced us off our own planet."

"We've evolved quite a bit since then." The new voice belonged to Tommy as the rangers arrived in the chamber. "Given the chance, maybe we can all arrive at an agreement that will suit both the humans and the tenga."

"That will never happen."

Tommy shrugged. "Well, it's your only chance now."

The Silverwing glared at him, then turned to Karone. "Astronema, how can you suddenly align yourself with the Power Rangers?"

"Like I said, I'm more complicated than you think." She looked at the body switcher. "Bring him to the room that he so kindly offered me."

"Yes, Your Evilness." The body switcher turned back to the Silverwing, looking menacing.

"I will guide myself," said the Silverwing, stepping away from the wall and going to the room on his own. He glared at each of them as he passed.

Once he was gone, Zedd turned to the rangers. "Well, you are now in possession of a Merevian warship."

TJ looked around. "This may not be the best ship to return to Earth in. I don't know what the governments of Earth would do if they could get their hands on such a powerful weapon."

"We can hide it on the dark side of the Moon," Andros suggested, "and just take the Z-Ship down to Earth."

"That's a good idea."

Their communicators beeped, and Zhane's voice emerged. "Hey, are you guys just going to hang out over there the whole time? It's getting kind of lonely in here."

Andros and Ashley exchanged a glance, and both started chuckling. "Alright, why don't you teleport us over there? We'll keep him company."

"You got it," said Zedd, turning back to the console.

* * *

She entered her room to find the Silverwing standing over the remains of the small table she had shattered with the Wrath Staff. "Did you do this?"

"I didn't think it would be missed."

He turned, studying her. "What is your plan, Astronema? Why are you suddenly allying yourself with the Power Rangers and Earth?"

She shut the door, and then walked further into the room, sitting down on the bed. "The humans think of me as Karone, the sister of their Red Ranger."

"Sister? Is this true?"

"I was born Karone, on the planet KO-35. Andros is my older brother."

The Silverwing stared at her, not saying anything.

"I was kidnapped as a child, and raised by Ecliptor. He taught me the ways of evil, and I began serving Dark Specter."

"And now that Dark Specter is gone, you are the Queen of Evil. But you are also the Red Ranger's sister." The Silverwing looked down at the remains of the table again. "Now I understand what you meant earlier when you said you were a complicated person. But are you Astronema, or are you once again this Karone?"

"I'm both. Astronema and Karone are the same person."

"And yet one is evil, and one is good."

She gave a small smile. "That's true."

"So, which are you?"

She stood, walking over to the window. "I grew up watching Dark Specter. He was a being of immense power, unlike anything the universe had known in hundreds of millenia. No enemy could stand against him. It seemed inevitable that he would conquer the universe, didn't it?"

"Until he was betrayed and destroyed by one of his own lieutenants."

"Exactly. Darkonda had his own ambitions. But, so did we all." She turned to the Silverwing. "Before Darkonda finished off Dark Specter, I weakened him by draining his power using my Psycho Rangers."

The Silverwing said nothing to this, merely watching her.

"There are two kinds of evil beings in the universe: Those who are obsessed with their own ambitions, and those who are enslaved by the ambitions of others."

"Leaders and followers."

"If only it were quite so clear-cut. Too often, the followers have their own ambitions, which intrude on the ambitions of their leaders."

"Where are you going with this, Astronema?"

"I'm through with lieutenants who will do as I say only until they see an opportunity to stab me in the back."

"I would never have done such a thing, provided you did not interfere with my people's desire to retake our homeworld. Now, you have done so."

"Earth is the most populous planet in the galaxy. There are over six billion humans on that planet, and even greater populations of other species. How long do you think it would have taken for you to weaken it enough for conquest?"

"It doesn't matter how long it would take. We would do whatever must be done to retake our homeworld. We have already spent millenia waiting."

"I have a better solution." She turned back to the window. "The humans have already colonized two other worlds, KO-35 and Mirinoi. Yet their population is growing at such a rate that Earth will soon no longer be able to sustain them all. They will need to expand to other worlds at a rapid pace."

"It would be best to eliminate the population on Earth before that happens."

"No. Let them expand. They will need a guide."

The Silverwing was silent for a moment. "You would let the humans take over the galaxy?"

"No, I will take over the galaxy. The human race will be the largest army the universe has ever known. And, unbeknownst to them, I will be guiding their actions. They won't know who their true queen is, so I won't have to worry about any pathetic, personal ambitions of theirs."

"And what of the tenga?"

"The tenga will be permitted to return to Earth. Once the humans are focused on conquering other worlds, they will no longer concern themselves with who is coming to theirs."

The Silverwing cocked his head, considering her words. "How will you rule the humans without their knowledge?"

"Humans are willfully naïve. They take instructions on what is in their own best interests. It will be all too easy to have them do whatever I want them to, and they will be none the wiser."


	13. Foundations

**A/N: Hey all! It's been a long while since we've had anything from Andros's POV, so here is a whole chapter from his perspective.**

**In addition to the usual suspects, this chapter contains references to the Lightspeed Rescue, Ninja Storm, and S.P.D. seasons. I'm finally getting you Gen Z-ers who grew up with the Disney era aboard the nostalgia train, before I put you on a real roller coaster with my next story. The Ninja Storm reference here is a little more obscure, so props to the fans who catch it.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Anything you recognize as canon, whether from the original Saban era or the Disney era, presently belongs to Hasbro.**

**Chapter 13: Foundations**

Andros watched as his sister fought craterites on the SimuDeck. She was making heavy use of the Wrath Staff, swinging it everywhere and dealing hard blows to the simulated foes. It reminded him of the way Ashley had fought as she was being taken over by the memory of Astronema within the staff.

Beside him, Ashley was also watching, and her expression told him that she was thinking along the same lines.

Karone finished off the craterites and turned to them. "That was fun. Join me for a round, Andros?"

"Are you alright, Karone?"

She sighed. "Relax, big brother. I'm fine. I'm me."

"Why don't you fight without the staff for a while?" Ashley suggested.

Karone looked from one to the other. "Forget it." She left the SimuDeck.

Ashley turned to Andros. "That was concerning."

Andros sighed. She still seemed to be Karone, but…

"I never should have brought that staff on the trip."

"It's not your fault." He reached out and took her hand, and she leaned forwards, placing her head on his shoulder. "I'm just so glad to have you back."

She smiled, pulling him into a hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"We are approaching the Moon," D.E.C.A. announced, intruding on the moment.

Andros sighed again, and Ashley chuckled under her breath. "Thanks, D.E.C.A."

Zhane and D.E.C.A. separated the Z-Ship from the Merevian warship before Zedd landed it on the moon. Seconds later, everyone that was still aboard the warship teleported over. The body switcher loomed menacingly over the Silverwing, making sure he wouldn't try anything.

"D.E.C.A., set a course for NASADA," said Andros.

Zedd looked at the screen as they approached Earth. "Now, this brings back memories."

Kat gave a wry smile. "Does it? Feeling the urge to try to take over the planet again?"

Zedd chuckled. "Hardly." He looked at Karone. "You?"

"Not at the moment," Karone replied.

"You should probably change," TJ suggested. "You still look like Astronema."

She turned to him. "Is that a problem?"

"For them, it might be. They don't know the circumstances."

Karone frowned.

"He's right, Karone," Andros said quietly.

Karone looked at him. "Fine." She left the bridge.

TJ looked at Andros, and Andros returned the look. He could tell what the other rangers were thinking.

"I suppose I should disguise myself as well," said the body switcher.

"That's probably for the best," said Zedd.

The body switcher waved his hand in front of himself, making himself appear human.

"You look rather pathetic in that form," the Silverwing commented.

"I didn't ask your opinion, tenga."

Andros turned to the Silverwing. "Are you ready to make your pitch?"

"I am prepared."

As they landed, Karone reappeared, wigless and wearing the standard gray jacket over a purple shirt. She had left the staff in her room, and Andros felt much more at ease seeing her now.

General Norquist met them as they emerged from the ship, and Cassie was with him. Ashley ran forward and gave her a big hug, and Andros couldn't help smiling as he watched his teammates.

"How did it go with Scott?" Ashley asked.

"Very well," Cassie replied.

Andros made his way over with the other guys, and Carlos imitated Ashley giving Cassie the hug. Ashley smacked his shoulder as the others laughed, and Carlos gave Cassie a real hug. "We missed you, girl."

"Likewise. Everyone back in their own body?"

"Yup," Ashley replied.

"What's the tenga doing here?"

Andros followed her questioning gaze. "That's the Silverwing, the leader of the tenga. He claims that the tenga originally came from Earth."

"Really?"

The Silverwing approached General Norquist, watched closely by Tommy and Kat. "You are a commander of your people?"

"I am," the General replied.

"I wish to request permission for my kin, the tenga, to return to Earth, our homeworld."

The General looked around. "It seems we have much to discuss. Let's head into a conference room."

* * *

The atmosphere in the conference room felt tense as the ten rangers sat at a large, round table with Zedd, the disguised body switcher, the Silverwing, and several military officers.

"So, let me get this straight," said an officer who had identified himself as Colonel Mayford. "You claim that your people originally came from this planet thousands of years ago, after being driven out by our ancestors. And you've been wandering space for thousands of years, waiting for the opportunity to come home?"

"That is correct," said the Silverwing.

"With all due respect… Sir… how can you know that for certain? Over thousands of years, history gets convoluted. Stories get merged with mythologies. We can't even say much for certain about most of our own ancestors thousands of years ago, and we've got archaeologists."

"Our stories are retained in the collective intelligence, which connects all tenga. As our minds have always been connected, our stories are passed through the generations without any details being changed. We know for certain what happened to our ancestors millennia ago."

"The collective intelligence…" Colonel Mayford shook his head, and looked at General Norquist. "General, this all sounds to me like a convenient excuse for an invasion."

The General glanced at him, then at the Silverwing. Finally, he looked at Andros. "Andros, you've travelled through space a fair amount. Have you ever heard of aliens having such a 'collective intelligence' before?"

Andros glanced at Zedd. "This was my first time ever meeting a species with a hive mind, but I am aware that some species in the universe have hive minds, like what the Silverwing is describing."

"And they can retain all the memories of their ancestors in such unchanged fashion?"

Andros shrugged. "I have no way of knowing that for sure. But if the hive mind functions as described, I suppose the memories would be retained and accessible to each member of the species."

The General shook his head. "This is all very strange."

"General, we have no way of knowing for sure if this tenga is speaking the truth," said Colonel Mayford. "Given the uncertainty, we have to think about what's in the best interest of humanity. We can't just allow thousands of aliens to settle among us here on Earth."

The General looked at him. "At some point, Colonel, we're going to have to acknowledge that we're no longer in the same era that we were in seven years ago. The aliens are out there, and they know that we're here. Despite our experiences thus far, it's unlikely that they all want to kill us. Perhaps its time we started interacting with them on more diplomatic terms."

"And inviting them to come and live on Earth? With respect, General, you can't be serious."

The General looked down at the table. "I have a contact that I would like to consult on this matter. Let's adjourn this discussion for a little while. We'll return at 1600. Rangers, you and your guests are welcome to wait in the lounge upstairs."

Andros stood with the others, looking at Ashley. She didn't look extremely optimistic, and his feelings matched her expression. It didn't feel like they were approaching a peaceful resolution here.

He took her hand as they followed the Terrans up to the lounge, not letting go until they sat down.

"Well, that felt not all that dissimilar from a meeting of Dark Specter's lieutenants," said Zedd. He glanced at Karone. "Didn't it?"

She chuckled. "I suppose there was less violence, but the hostility was certainly there."

"It does not feel like a peaceful solution will be achieved," said the Silverwing. "I am not at all surprised. There will be war between our peoples."

"Hold on," Andros urged him. "The General seemed more inclined towards a resolution than the others did. Let's see what this contact of his has to say." He was surprised by the vagueness of the General's reference to this 'contact.'

"Who do you think this 'contact' is that he mentioned?" asked TJ. "The President?"

"Probably," Cassie replied. "He'll have the final word, won't he?"

"Wouldn't he have just said 'the President,' though?" asked Carlos. "He wouldn't have been so vague about it."

"I agree," said Ashley. "Maybe it's someone else." She looked around. When no one else had anything to say about it, she leaned back, her shoulder fitting beneath Andros's arm.

As everyone turned to their own thoughts, he watched the Silverwing. The tenga stood quietly at the window, staring out at the wooded hills beyond the facility. Andros couldn't help feeling concerned that he was plotting something.

After a moment, he stood, giving Ashley a reassuring glance, then walked over to the Silverwing. "The Terrans have an expression: 'A penny for your thoughts.'"

"And that means what, exactly?"

"What are you thinking about?"

"That is none of your concern, human."

"It is if you're planning something against us."

"I assure you, I am currently having no such considerations."

Andros crossed his arms, leaning against the frame between the window panels. "I thought tenga weren't as intelligent when they were separated from the group. Why are you still so thoughtful when you're the only one here?"

"Because I'm the Silverwing. The collective intelligence flows through me, and is with me always, regardless of where I am. I may not be able to presently connect with my kin, but I still retain the collective memories of my people."

"Including your ancestors' memories of Earth?"

The Silverwing nodded. "The planet has changed much since they were here. You humans have disturbed the balance of nature. The air reeks of poisons from your industries."

"Yeah, pollution is a nuisance."

"You speak of it as though your people are not the ones responsible."

"Hey, don't look at me. My people have been on KO-35 for the past five hundred years." Andros glanced out the window. "Perhaps the tenga would be better off settling on a planet other than Earth."

The Silverwing looked at him. "This planet is our ancestral home, just as it is yours. We will purify the air, and undo the damage that the humans have done."

"Just a thought." Andros turned and looked around at the other rangers. Ashley was watching them, an inquisitive look on her face. His gaze lingered on her for a moment, and then moved on. Karone was also watching the conversation, although her expression was more… Andros couldn't tell what her look meant.

* * *

It was approaching the time to reconvene when General Norquist entered the lounge. He was followed by a younger officer and a figure wearing a white, hooded cloak. Andros raised his eyebrows at the cloak, knowing that it wasn't typical for Terrans to walk around like that, especially on a military base.

"Rangers, I would like to introduce you to someone," said the General. He gestured to the figure, who lowered the hood of the cloak to reveal a feminine but definitely alien face, with a pair of cat-like ears protruding from her hair. "This is Dr. Kat Manx. She represents an interstellar security force known as Space Patrol Delta."

"Space Patrol Delta?" Karone gave a wry smile. "So, the little mice emerged from their hidey-holes?"

"Astronema." The alien woman hissed, revealing fangs.

"It's Karone, now."

"So I've heard."

Andros quickly stepped in before things escalated. "What is Space Patrol Delta?"

"We're a galactic police force, enforcing laws of interplanetary cooperation."

"A galactic police force?" asked Carlos. "Where were you when we were fighting Dark Specter?"

The woman sent a fresh glare at Karone. "After Talifar, we were forced into hiding."

"Talifar?" Andros recognized the name. "You were at the Battle of Talifar?"

Karone looked at him. "The term 'battle' is putting it rather kindly, isn't it? It was a massacre."

The woman's expression darkened further. "Several of our patrols were destroyed. Many of my friends died that day."

Karone didn't quite look apologetic. "What can I say? I was on fire that day, almost literally. I had just been freshly empowered by a dying Karmanian that I had captured."

"A what?" asked TJ.

"Karmanians are beings with short lifespans. They give their powers to whomever captures them at the time they die."

"That sounds like a horrible way to go," said Cassie.

"Well, most Karmanians are able to make the choice of whom to give their powers to," said Dr. Manx. "And they only choose those who are pure of heart."

"But, to the captor goes the spoils," said Karone.

Andros stepped in again. "Alright, enough." He looked at Dr. Manx. "What are you doing on Earth now?"

"Since the end of the war, we've been seeking out new planets across the galaxy from which to concentrate our efforts to rebuild the force. When we learned that the people of Earth had defeated Astronema, Supreme Command decided that Earth would be a suitable location for a new base. They sent me here to more closely examine the planetary defenses." Dr. Manx glanced at the General. "However, those defenses seem to primarily consist of teams of power rangers."

The rangers exchanged glances.

"Is that why you're making the new team in Mariner Bay?" Tommy asked, looking at the General. "Trying to impress this galactic police force?"

"That operation is top secret."

"Of course," said TJ, "which is why the rumors about it have already spread across the whole country."

The General sighed. "I've instructed Captain Mitchell to accelerate his efforts to bring that team together. If the Lightspeed Rescue team is successful, Dr. Manx will be authorized to begin her own experiments with a second team, which would be a cooperative effort between the United States and the S.P.D." He gestured to the younger officer, who hadn't yet been introduced. "Captain Tate will be spearheading that effort on our end."

Captain Tate gave a respectful nod towards the rangers. "It's an honor to meet you all."

"Likewise," said Tommy.

The General looked at the Silverwing. "Silverwing, here's the part of this discussion that you'll be interested in."

"Oh, believe me, General, I was already interested to hear Dr. Manx's analysis of Earth's defenses."

The General ignored the comment and looked at Dr. Manx.

"As part of Earth's cooperation with the S.P.D., the planetary governments will begin moving towards permitting benevolent alien life to settle on Earth, in accordance with interplanetary law." Dr. Manx looked at the Silverwing. "Once this objective is achieved, the tenga will be permitted to come to Earth, provided there are no lingering feuds with the humans here."

"The humans will never agree to that."

"It will take time," said the General. "But efforts towards that end are already underway."

"By my analysis of human psychology, it will take around twenty years," said Dr. Manx. "Barring any reactionary insurgencies, of course. Will your people wait twenty more years before returning to their homeworld?"

The Silverwing didn't answer immediately. Andros felt the anxiety in the room rise the longer he considered his response.

Finally, the Silverwing spoke. "By your reckoning of time on this planet, twenty years from now will be the year 2020. We will return in that year. If we are not permitted to settle on Earth, humanity will be destroyed."

The General nodded. "Very well. We'll hold you to your word."

* * *

With an agreement reached during the adjournment, the officers decided not to resume the earlier conference. On their way out, however, the rangers were intercepted by a different officer. "Andros?"

Andros looked over at the man who had called him by name. He wasn't sure if he had ever seen him before, although it did feel like there was something familiar about him. "Hello."

The officer approached, and looked at Maya. "You are the ranger from Mirinoi, aren't you? It was wonderful to hear of the success of the Terra Venture mission. We were authorized to launch a second colonization mission as soon as we heard the news."

"A second one?" TJ asked. "That happened fast."

"Well, we had already been preparing for the mission, but we were waiting on news from Terra Venture. By the time we had confirmation that they were successful, we were prepared to go immediately." He extended his hand. "I'm Captain Andrews. I'll be leading the mission to Yukra."

"Yukra?" Andros had visited the planet before. "That's not far from KO-35." It was a picturesque world that had once been a trendy vacation spot, but there were no permanent settlements there.

"Kinwon informed us about the planet himself. I hope you won't mind having new neighbors."

"Not at all." Andros shook the Captain's hand. As he did so, he had a renewed feeling that the man was familiar somehow, although he was sure he had never met him before.

"Actually, we'll be flying right past KO-35. We're happy to give you a ride home, if you like. All three of you."

Andros glanced at Zhane and Karone. "Thank you for the offer, but we have our own ship."

The Captain nodded. "Very well. It was an honor to meet you."

"You as well."

"Good luck," said Tommy, also shaking the Captain's hand. Most of the other rangers did the same.

As they left the facility, Zhane glanced at Andros. "There was something familiar about that captain, wasn't there?"

"You noticed it, too?" Andros looked at him. "It felt like I'd seen him before."

Zhane looked down for a moment. Then he stopped walking so abruptly that Cassie crashed into his back. "The statue."

"The statue?"

"The one that used to stand in Council Square, before she blew it up." He nodded at Karone.

Andros's eyes widened as he recalled what Zhane was talking about. "You're right."

"What statue?" Karone asked.

"Dad named me after High Consul Andros, the first High Consul who led the founding of our colony. There was a statue of him in Council Square, but you destroyed it in your first attack on KO-35."

Karone looked down for a moment, then at Zhane. "That guy looked like the statue?"

"Yeah, it was uncanny." Zhane shrugged. "It has to be a coincidence, of course. He's from Earth, isn't he? He couldn't be a descendent of the High Consul."

Andros also shrugged. "As far as I know."

They returned to the Z-Ship. Cassie decided that she would join them for the trip to return the Silverwing and the body switcher to Cambriona, and Zedd to Ostaven.

"Andros, our ancestors supposedly came from Earth five hundred years ago, didn't they?" asked Karone.

"Yeah."

"Well, I don't know much about Earth's history yet, but the technology on this planet five hundred years ago wasn't anywhere close to being capable of space travel, was it?"

"You can say that again," said Carlos. "We could barely make it across an ocean five hundred years ago."

Andros glanced at him. The question of how his ancestors came from here five hundred years ago had bugged him for a while when he first arrived on this planet, but it was an unanswerable question that he eventually let slip from his mind.

"A few years ago, one of Dark Specter's lieutenants claimed that he had been trapped in some kind of space storm that sent him back in time two weeks, causing him to accidently undo his own conquest of the Revalians. It seemed to me like a pathetic excuse, and Dark Specter didn't tolerate it."

"Yeah, that sounds pretty far-fetched," said TJ.

"But what if that's what happened to our ancestors? What if they somehow got sent back in time five hundred years?"

Everyone stared at her.

"Maybe the reason Captain Andrews looks so much like the statue is because the statue was of him."

It was several seconds before anyone spoke. "Well, if they get stuck in a space storm near KO-35, they probably would detour there," said TJ. "Your people would be able to help them."

"But if they get sent back in time five hundred years, there would be no one on KO-35 when they arrived," Cassie added.

Andros stared at them in turn.

"Are you saying that ship is somehow going to get sent back in time five hundred years?" Carlos asked. "Shouldn't we warn them?"

"Not if they're our ancestors," said Zhane. "If you warn them and they don't go, we wouldn't exist."

Ashley shook her head. "Time travel is so weird."

Andros looked at her. It all seemed too strange to be real, but it was the only explanation that anyone could provide for how his people came to KO-35 in the first place.

Zhane shook his head. "This is crazy." He looked towards the bridge. "D.E.C.A., let's get going."

"Yes, Zhane." D.E.C.A. took care of launching the ship on her own.

Andros went to the window, watching as the NASADA facility rapidly shrank out of sight. Had he really just met High Consul Andros? His namesake? The man his dad had been so fond of telling stories about?

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked, expecting to see Ashley. Instead, it was his sister. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He looked back towards the window, which began showing stars as they left Earth's atmosphere. "You know, you always used to fall asleep before Dad finished his bedtime stories."

"Isn't that the point of bedtime stories?"

He shrugged. "I was more interested in what he had to say."

"You were also older."

"That's true." He glanced back towards Earth. "He had a lot to say about High Consul Andros."

"Well, obviously, if he named his first-born son after him."

Andros nodded. "He was a great man."

"Then it's cool that we got to meet him, isn't it?"

"It's… weird."

"Well, the whole thing is weird. The people that are about to launch in that ship are our own ancestors."

"Yeah." He looked at her. "I wish you could remember our parents."

"Me too, big brother."

He recalled the last time she had called him that, when she had been in the guise of Astronema earlier. She seemed a lot more normal now, and the thought comforted him.

Then, over her shoulder, he saw the Silverwing watching them from down the hallway. The Silverwing caught his gaze for a second, then turned and walked away, and some of Andros's comfort flew out the window.


	14. Ionis B

**A/N: Hey all. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. This chapter is somewhat darker than what's come before, but that was bound to happen as we approach the end. In the show, monsters are vanquished and everyone celebrates, and we celebrate with them. However, this story is far less black and white.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: What you recognize as canon belongs to Hasbro.**

**Chapter 14: Ionis B**

Back on the Merevian warship, she once more entered her room in the guise of Astronema, finding the Silverwing standing at the window. She shut the door and quietly stalked up behind him, aiming her staff.

"Welcome back, Queen Astronema." The Silverwing turned. "Or is it still Karone?"

"It's Karone to them." She nodded back towards the door. "You can call me whatever you like." She walked up beside him, looking out at the stars. She could feel him studying her, but she decided not to react to it. Let him wonder.

After several seconds, he turned back to the window. "Tell me about the Battle of Talifar, where you defeated that Space Patrol Delta."

"You heard the whole story at NASADA."

"Yes, but I enjoy being reminded of the victories of our forces."

"Our forces? I don't recall you being at Talifar."

"We were fighting for the same side. For Dark Specter."

"Yes, and no more than a few tenga were ever where he needed them to be."

"The tenga are strongest together. We went where I believed we could best advance his cause."

She gave him a skeptical look. "Why are you even attempting to convince me of that?"

The tenga made a noise of amusement. "Well, you betrayed Dark Specter with your Psycho Rangers. It seems none of us were truly devoted to serving him."

"We already had this conversation."

"I'm aware of that. I just wanted to make sure you remember." He turned back to her.

She sighed. "Stop trying to test me, Silverwing."

"Only when I am convinced that the Queen of Evil has truly returned."

In a flash, she was aiming her staff at him once more. "Do you really want me to try to convince you of that?"

He looked at the tip of the staff, then back at her face. "No, I suppose not."

She withdrew the staff and walked towards the bed, sitting down. "Are you truly willing to wait twenty more years before returning to Earth, as you told the humans you would?"

The Silverwing gave no immediate reply to that, turning back to the window. Several more seconds passed before he turned to her again. "To be honest, I haven't decided yet. I admit that I am genuinely curious to see if the humans will honor their side of the agreement, but the tenga are not likely willing to wait twenty years to find that out."

Frankly, she was curious about that as well. She was skeptical that humanity would ever welcome aliens into their midsts, even after twenty years of covert propaganda from the S.P.D. and the planetary governments.

"And you? Have Dr. Manx's words delayed your plans to make the humans into your new galactic army?"

She sighed. Regardless of her own plans, she certainly hadn't expected the reemergence of Space Patrol Delta. She had nearly completed their destruction when Dark Specter summoned her back to the Cimmerian Planet for his conference, and her efforts were then redirected in pursuit of Andros.

If the S.P.D. was rebuilding, the odds would be unfavorable for any evil plots in space. "Perhaps it would be best to wait for the time being, and see what happens on Earth. Space Patrol Delta will surely try to change things there."

The Silverwing nodded. "Perhaps for the better, perhaps not. I suppose we will see."

* * *

The other warships were repaired by the time they arrived back at Cambriona. The body switchers that had concealed themselves among the tenga had been discovered, and were either destroyed or teleported back to the planet. The leaderless tenga had then opened fire on the world, causing a great deal of destruction.

Andros watched as the body switcher that had traveled with the rangers stared at the screen, aghast. Fires tore through the planet's vast forests, devouring villages, and Andros felt sorry for the defeated monsters. When the Silverwing emerged on the bridge, the body switcher turned to him in a rage, and Andros almost let the monster tear the tenga apart. Almost.

He and Tommy both stepped between the two enemies, holding out their hands. "Stop. More violence won't fix anything at this point," Tommy urged.

"They destroyed my people!" the body switcher yelled.

"And if the Silverwing dies, they'll destroy us, too," said Andros. He quickly glanced at the screen, which showed that the other warships were turning towards them and approaching.

"I don't care!" the body switcher declared, advancing on the Silverwing. Both red rangers morphed, intercepting the monster. He tried to knock them out of the way, but they held their ground.

Abruptly, a blast of purple lightning struck the monster, sending it flying backwards. It landed in a heap on the floor.

Andros unmorphed and turned to Karone. "You didn't have to hurt him."

"He was going to hurt you."

He frowned at her.

"There's no reasoning with him, Andros. His people have just been slaughtered. I'm sure you can understand his rage."

Andros sighed, and turned back to the monster, who was groaning as he got back to his feet. The body switcher glared at Karone, but didn't dare try anything while her staff was aimed at him.

"You should return to the planet and help the survivors," Zedd advised.

"What survivors?" The body switcher gestured hopelessly at the screen. "How can anyone survive that?"

"We should go and see for ourselves."

"It seems you have a more pressing problem." The body switcher pointed at the screen again. The Merevian warships were still advancing.

"My kin are powering up their weapons," said the Silverwing.

"They won't shoot at us while we have you," said Tommy.

"You came here to return me to them. Do so, and they will hold their fire."

"We're just supposed to take you at your word?"

"Your whole planet is relying on my word."

"And your people just opened fire on a defenseless world."

"They did not have me here to guide them. I would have held them back."

Tommy frowned.

"You humans kidnapped me and commandeered my ship. I am giving you the chance to live, in spite of that. You would be wise to seize the opportunity."

"No," said Karone. She looked at Andros. "The tenga can't be trusted."

The Silverwing stared at her.

Andros looked back and forth between the tenga and his sister. He knew that they had been conferring privately aboard the warship. What was happening here? He desperately wanted to trust Karone, but this was… strange.

Karone looked at Zedd. "Steer the warship to Ionis B."

"To where?" TJ asked.

Zedd gave a wry smile, then teleported over to the warship. After several seconds, they felt the ship turn and begin racing away from Cambriona.

"What is Ionis B?" Tommy asked.

Karone ignored the question for the moment. "D.E.C.A., divert as much power as possible to the radiation shield."

"The radiation shield?" Andros stared at her. "Karone, where are we going?"

Behind them, the Merevian warships began firing. A blast grazed the wing of the warship they were flying, but it was enough to cause both the warship and the Z-ship to lurch. The rangers quickly steadied themselves.

Seizing the opportunity, the body switcher charged at the Silverwing. The tenga leapt out of the way, and Karone aimed her staff again, blasting the body switcher against the wall. She then grabbed the Silverwing and teleported them both away.

"D.E.C.A., where did they go?" Andros asked.

"They have returned to the Merevian Warship."

"Do you have any information on Ionis B?" Zhane asked.

"Scanning the database… The database does not have any information on Ionis B."

Andros and Zhane exchanged a glance.

"Is the radiation shield at maximum power?" Andros asked quietly.

"Yes."

He felt Ashley come up beside him, fitting her hand into his. He turned to look at her, squeezing gently.

"Everything's going to be okay," she said quietly. "She's not trying to hurt us."

He raised his eyebrows. "You were concerned about her before."

"I know, but…" she shrugged. "No matter how much she leans in to being both Karone and Astronema, she still recognizes that you're her brother. She doesn't seem to want to hurt you at all. Wherever we're going, I'm sure we'll be alright."

He stared into her eyes. "I really hope you're right."

Just then, an alarm began going off. "I am detecting dangerous levels of epsilon radiation in this system," said D.E.C.A.

"That explains the shield," said Zhane. "Where's it coming from?"

The screen zoomed in on a white star in the distance.

"That's no ordinary white dwarf, is it?"

"It is not. There are no records of any dwarf star emitting such high concentrations of short-wave electromagnetic radiation."

"Will the radiation shield hold?"

"The radiation shield will not be able to protect against all of that star's radiation for long. We should not remain here."

Zedd didn't seem to get that memo, as the warship that they were attached to decelerated, turning to face their pursuers. The pursuing warships did the same, and the rangers stared at them in the screen.

The tenga seemed to have no interest in a stand-off, however. One of them fired immediately. No sooner had the blast left the ship, however, then it seemed to fold in on itself and blow up against the ship that had fired it. The same thing happened to several other ships, and the attacking ships rocked violently from the blasts.

Karone teleported back onto the bridge. "The radiation from the star is causing their weapons to backfire."

"The radiation shield won't hold for long," said Andros. "We have to get out of here."

"The shield on the warship is also protecting us. We'll be alright. The tenga weren't prepared for this, and Zedd is waiting until the radiation has sufficiently damaged their ships so that they'll be forced to limp back out of the system. They won't be a threat to Earth any time soon."

Andros stared at her.

"I know what I'm doing, Andros."

"And what if the tenga don't survive the radiation? You'll be wiping out most of the race."

"They just wiped out most of the body switchers. They deserve it, don't they? Never mind that they're trying to destroy us now."

There was a scattering of small explosions across the Merevian fleet. The ships rocked, and many of them turned and began leaving the system. It wasn't long before all of them were doing the same.

Zedd then wasted no time in turning his warship again and speeding away from the star. D.E.C.A. shut off the alarm, and Andros heard Ashley let out a breath that she had been holding.

"Did he send the Silverwing back over?" Tommy asked.

"Yes."

Andros turned away and left the bridge, not wanting to look at her. He silently walked to his room, feeling Ashley follow.

She shut the door behind her, then sat beside him on the bed, not saying anything.

"I really don't know how to feel about what just happened," he said. When she didn't respond, he continued. "On the one hand, that ends the tenga threat. But we didn't even know if they were going to be a threat. They might have honored the agreement."

"She clearly didn't think they could be trusted."

"She had been conferring with the Silverwing in private. I don't know what they were talking about, and I don't know if…" He shook his head. "I want so badly to trust her, but…"

She took his hand again, giving it a squeeze. "We'll never really know what the tenga were going to do, and this ends the threat they would have posed to Earth if they chose to attack. We had no way of stopping them if they attacked."

"I know." He looked at her. "I know today is a win. I just… I hope she's alright."

She nodded, then leaned her head on his shoulder. "Right now, I think she will be."

He shut his eyes, focusing on her proximity and hoping that she was correct.

"What about the body switcher?"

He opened his eyes again. The body switcher was still unconscious on the bridge. When he came to, it could be a problem, as the monster was clearly too reckless and unpredictable in his grief. But they couldn't very well send him back to his ravaged homeworld. "We should head back to Cambriona, and see how many survivors there are."

"And do what with them? We can't leave them there."

"I know." He stood, and she stood with him.

When they returned to the bridge, they found that Zedd was already directing them back to Cambriona. The body switcher was still on the floor.

Andros could feel Karone watching him, but he didn't return the look.

Soon, the planet reappeared on the screen, the fires raging across its surface. "D.E.C.A., scan for survivors."

"Scanning… No survivors detected on the planet."

The body switcher stirred, and Andros looked down at him, his heart feeling heavy.

As the body switcher came to and returned to his feet, he looked at the screen. He stared at it, saying nothing.

"We'll take you somewhere," said Andros. "Anywhere. Where would you like to go?"

The monster didn't respond, merely staring at his dying homeworld.

Andros looked around at the other rangers. Everyone looked sullen, including Karone. Maya was crying, and Zhane silently embraced her.

Finally, the monster replied. "Nowhere. Send me back to the planet."

"You won't be able to survive down there," said Tommy. "There's no stopping those fires, and if any air is still breathable, it won't be for long."

"We can take you to Onyx," Karone suggested. "You'll be welcome there."

"Welcome to do what?" The body switcher turned to her, and bowed. "With respect, Your Evilness, I would rather not sit around on Onyx waiting to be recruited into your next war. I would prefer to die among the remains of my people and my history."

Karone looked down, and nodded. "Very well. Zedd, I imagine you heard that."

As if in response, the light of the Merevian teleportation system appeared around the monster, and he disappeared.

No one moved or said anything for several seconds. Andros stared at the screen again, watching the fires slowly devour the planet.

Eventually, the warship turned again and flew away from the planet, and Zedd teleported in to let the rangers know he had set a course for Ostaven.

* * *

A while later, Andros knocked on the door of Karone's room aboard the warship.

"Come in."

He opened the door to find her standing at the window. She was still wearing Astronema's armor, but she had taken off the wig, and the staff was leaning against the nearby wall.

She turned to him, her face somber. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey." He shut the door, then walked further into the room.

"Here to make sure that I'm still me?"

He sighed. "Karone, I'm not…"

She waited. "Not what?"

He walked up beside her, looking out the window. "What happened today with the tenga was… It didn't feel like you."

"Andros, you need to stop."

"You're my sister. I'm never going to stop worrying about you."

"Then you need to understand. I'll always be your sister, but I'll also always be the girl that Ecliptor raised."

"I know. I just worry."

"Andros, unless there are any body switchers off-world, we just watched an entire race of monsters go extinct. I assure you that you don't have to worry about my capacity for sympathy right now." She turned and walked over to the bed, sitting down. "Right now, I feel extremely human." She leaned forwards and hung her head, her hair falling around her face.

He watched her, feeling that same heaviness. Then he walked over and sat down beside her, staring at nothing.

For the moment, there was nothing else to say. The two siblings sat there together, each quietly reflecting on the events of the day.


	15. The Child of War

**A/N: Hey all! We made it! Here's the last chapter, although there will be a couple of short bonus chapters teasing things to come.**

**It's typical for my concluding chapters to be among the longest of the story, and that's certainly true here. The chapter takes some time setting up Maya's role in my next story, and then Andros, Tommy, and TJ's next appearance in canon, before wrapping up Karone's story (for now). I know this won't be a satisfying ending for all of you, but it's where I was heading all along, and I hope most of you will like it.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: What you recognize as canon belongs to Hasbro. Everything else, including the additions to backstories and attempted fillings for plot holes, are products of my own imagination.**

**Chapter 15: The Child of War**

They arrived at Ostaven to find the Nitarangers once again fending off an attack from the Ostamelior. Zedd immediately teleported Andros, Zhane, and the Terran rangers down into the fray, and Karone followed with her staff.

Maya, who was still not fully comfortable around Zedd ever since his revelation about Loyax, refused to be left behind, even though she had returned Ashley's morpher. Zedd teleported her to the very edge of the battle, and Karone immediately fought her way over to the unmorphed Galaxy Ranger.

The staff was refusing to fire its lightning, and Karone knew that was because she had been too sentimental lately. Perhaps a battle would be just the thing to bring her darkness back to the surface, and enable her to properly use the staff.

But as she protected Maya from most of the attackers, she knew that wasn't going to happen. Instead, she swung the staff to and fro, striking enemies with the blade.

Unsurprisingly, Zhane also fought his way over to Maya as soon as he saw her, and stood on her other flank. Maya glanced at each of them in turn, but quickly returned her attention to the attackers. She landed a hard kick to an enemy, knocking it backwards despite her lack of suit.

Eventually, as more enemies fell, the battle seemed to collapse in on itself. Tommy and Andros had joined Aid'na, and the three red rangers now stood at the center of the fray, swords in hand. The Zeo Five Power Sword, the Spiral Saber, and the Shark-tooth Saber all flashed to and fro, clashing against enemy weapons and cutting through enemy armor.

There was a loud bellow, accompanied by a shadow that fell over the battlefield. Villamax's latest monster seemed to have a more creative design than the first, although the large, curved tusks were clearly inspired by a boar-like or mammoth-like creature.

With Aid'na occupied in the battle, it was Log'no who turned towards Nitaven. "Eternal Nitaven, we borrow your strength!" His squid zord was the first to the ridge, the water's power clearly having healed the injuries it sustained in the previous battle.

This time, the zords quickly combined into the megazord, and the Nitarangers disappeared into it. The monster leapt up on frog-like legs, aiming its descent at the megazord, but the megazord caught the tusks in its lobster-claw hands and spun, hurling the creature over the ridge. There was a large crashing sound from the mountainside below.

Then a larger shadow fell over the battlefield, causing everyone to look up. The Merevian warship hovered overhead, and Zedd blasted the monster as it tried to scramble back up towards the megazord. It let out a wail and tumbled back downwards, but still got back to its feet.

The Ostamelior looked up fearfully at the massive ship that hovered above them, but still didn't retreat just yet. Ashley and Kat had battled over to their boyfriends, and Karone watched her brother and Ashley stand back-to-back, mirroring the two Zeo Rangers and protecting each other against attacks.

Then she finally caught sight of Villamax. She raised her staff, but it still wouldn't fire, so she charged towards him instead. He spotted her approach and watched her for a moment, then turned and left the battlefield.

She gave chase, leaping over a small ridge on the far side of the plateau. There was a narrow gorge ahead between two mountains, and Villamax scrambled towards it. Then, at the edge of the cliff overlooking the gorge, he stopped and turned to face her.

Karone slowed down, realizing that he might try to find a way to throw her over the cliff. But, unless he planned to jump over the edge, he had also cornered himself. She would easily be able to cut off a retreat in any other direction.

She raised her staff again, but it still wouldn't fire.

He cocked his head. "Not quite back to your old self, Astronema?"

"On the contrary, I'm more of my old self than I ever was before."

"Is that so?" He drew his sword. "Show me your darkness."

She smiled, then lunged at him, swinging the staff. He blocked the attack, maintaining his balance on the cliff edge. However, instead of trying to knock her over the edge, he shoved her away from it. Then he ran at her, sword swinging, and she used the staff to parry in turn.

She took a few steps back, further from the edge, then halted his pursuit with a swift kick. Then she swung the staff again, landing a blow to his chest. Sparks erupted from his armor, but he remained on his feet.

He charged again, forcing her back onto the defensive. Sword and staff clashed repeatedly as she blocked his strikes. Then she managed to shove him away. Retreating, she turned and tried to fire again, to no avail.

"Not enough," he growled, charging again. She blocked his sword, but he landed a kick to her stomach, knocking her to the ground. "Let your anger arise and take over." He stood over her and raised his sword. She swung her staff to try to knock him off, but he caught it. "Karone cannot defeat me. Only Astronema can."

"Good thing I'm both." She kicked him away, and got back to her feet, swinging the staff again. The blow struck hard, and he groaned as he was sent flying, sparks flying everywhere. Then she aimed her staff.

Clutching his side, he got back to his feet, turning to face her. "Good. You understand what must happen, don't you? The Morphing Grid requires Astronema."

She frowned.

"The balance between good and evil must be restored, or all life will die. Only you can rally the forces of evil and restore that balance. You are their queen."

She stared at him. "I thought restoring the balance is your job. You are the agent of the Morphing Grid."

"I am, but restoring the balance now requires a stronger hand than my own. It requires yours."

She lowered the staff, processing his words.

"This has always been your destiny, Karone. Even before Darkonda kidnapped you, you were destined to lead the forces of evil and preserve the balance that maintains life. You were always destined to be Astronema, the Queen of Evil." He sheathed his sword. "Consider my words, and you will know, deep down, that they are true. You have always known." He brought his fist up in front of his chest, then nodded towards her in a sort of salute. "Fulfill your destiny." With that, he teleported away.

She stared at the empty space where he had been standing. Could it really be true? Was it her destiny to be Astronema, and restore the forces of evil? His words made sense. If the Morphing Grid relied on a balance between good and evil, then the forces of evil did need to be restored, more than he could do on his own.

She lowered her gaze to the ground. Part of her hoped that it was true. It was a part that she had recognized even before coming to understand that she was both Karone and Astronema. The part of her that had been restless on Earth after the war, and then again later on Mirinoi, always looking for the next conflict.

This was what Ecliptor had spent all those years training her for.

She raised her staff, aiming it at the far side of the gorge. Purple lightning burst forth, shattering the cliffside and sending rocks tumbling into the gorge below. She watched them fall, listening to each clatter of stone striking stone and watching the resulting clouds of dust rise in their wake.

Then she looked at the sky, envisioning all of the stars that were presently blocked from view by the sunlight. There were certainly new evils waiting to be awakened among those stars. She could find them, awakening them and taking control, stirring up new wars across countless systems.

She smiled to herself, envisioning the chaos that would restore balance to the Morphing Grid and ensure the survival of life in the universe.

It was time for Astronema to take her rightful place.

* * *

Back on the plateau, the monster had been destroyed and the Ostamelior retreated. Andros saw Zhane immediately unmorph and turn to Maya. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You didn't need to protect me."

"But I…" Seeing her expression, he wisely stopped himself. "I'm sorry."

Andros and Ashley unmorphed and exchanged an amused glance, before walking over to the Silver Ranger. The other rangers gathered around as well.

"It was very brave of you to fight the Ostamelior without morphing," Aid'na said to Maya. "But you could have been badly injured."

"But you fought very well unmorphed," Jun'ga quickly added, giving her leader a glance.

"Thanks," Maya replied. She sent a frustrated glance at Zhane and Aid'na in turn.

Zedd landed the Merevian warship on the other side of the plateau, then teleported out of it. He looked at Maya, but she silenced him with a look before he could express any concern.

"Welcome back, Teacher," said Oss'ra. "We have missed you."

"Likewise, Oss'ra, although it seems you have been doing just fine without me."

There was flash of purple as Karone teleported among them, and the Nitarangers immediately returned to defensive stances. She held up a hand. "Relax, I'm Karone."

"Kar'on?" Oss'ra looked back and forth between her and Ashley.

"And I'm Ashley. It's nice to finally be able to speak to you all."

"And I'm Cassie," Cassie chimed in. The others had told her about the Nitarangers, but she hadn't met them yet.

"We are glad that your earlier difficulties were solved," said Log'no. He looked warily at Karone. "Forgive us if it takes time to adjust to seeing you among us."

"I understand," Karone replied. Andros wished she would put aside the staff again, but that probably wouldn't happen until they were back on the ship.

"Aid'na, why don't you lead them back to the city?" Zedd suggested. "I will move the ship to someplace where it will be less vulnerable should the Ostamelior return."

Aid'na looked up at the warship. "It is quite a large ship."

"I'll use the field beyond the old quantron garrison. There's space there." He teleported away again, and seconds later, the ship started back up.

Aid'na turned to the others. "Come, let us return to the city."

The humans followed the Nitarangers back to their city, and Andros looked up at the massive, ancient library.

"Do I finally get the tour?" Ashley asked.

Jun'ga looked at her. "If you want, I will show you around."

"Me too!" said Cassie, scrambling up to Ashley's side. Andros allowed the Pink Ranger to guide Ashley away from him, and the two women followed Jun'ga further into the city.

He looked over at where Karone and Oss'ra were quietly talking, away from the others. Oss'ra seemed quickest to accustom herself to Karone looking like Astronema, but Andros still felt the increasingly familiar concern arise. He wondered where she had disappeared to during the battle.

* * *

Karone looked over as Zedd teleported back among the rangers, having landed the Merevian warship beyond the garrison. She and Oss'ra rejoined the group.

Zedd looked at Maya. "Maya, I have something for you. Call it a peace offering, if you would like."

Maya raised her eyebrows as Zedd held out his hand. He was holding five small, trapezoidal objects. Each of the silver objects was embedded with a stone that matched the color of one of the Galaxy Rangers.

Maya took the objects and looked at them. "What are they?" Holding them in one hand, she picked up the one with the yellow stone in her other hand and looked closely at it.

"They are for the Quasar Sabers. They will enable you to create portals through space to travel through whenever you need to. Both Earth and KO-35 will be in range from Mirinoi."

Karone's eyes widened. She stared at the device with the pink stone in Maya's hand, then quickly reminded herself that the Pink Quasar Saber was no longer hers, and once again belonged to its true owner.

A wide grin broke across Zhane's face. "Really? She'll be able to visit KO-35 whenever she wants to?"

Maya gave him a glance that suggested she didn't quite disapprove of his idea.

"Well, I would suggest they be reserved for emergency situations," said Zedd. "But, technically, yes."

Maya gave Zedd a smile. "Thank you. But how are you able to make devices for the Quasar Sabers? They are an ancient technology."

Zedd gave her a knowing look. "You don't know how your people first arrived on Mirinoi, do you?"

Maya looked down, shaking her head. "My people have been on Mirinoi for over three thousand years. There are legends, but no one really knows how we first came to be there."

"Another colony ship that got sent back in time?" Zhane suggested.

"No." Zedd looked around at the other rangers. "You all know the story of how Zordon and Rita fought a great battle on Earth ten thousand years ago, resulting in both of them being banished from this dimension."

"Of course," said Kat.

"Well, for thousands of years after that battle, several other Eltarians visited Earth to determine what happened to Zordon, and then to try to figure out a means of restoring him to this dimension." He looked at Maya. "Among them was a scientist and inventor named Cirron."

Maya's eyes widened. "Cirron? That's a name from our mythology. Our ancestors believed he was a benevolent spirit who watched over them."

Zedd nodded. "Of sorts. He built a hidden laboratory on Earth, near the site of Zordon's banishment. There, he studied the energy remnants from the battle. He built the Quasar Sabers to try to connect that energy to the Morphing Grid, hoping that would be enough to restore Zordon. The experiment failed, but the Quasar Sabers became powerful conduits to the Morphing Grid, as you know."

"So, the Quasar Sabers were built on Earth?"

"Yes. After that first failure, Cirron decided to remain on Earth and come up with a new plan. However, he had little talent for producing his own food, so he began interacting regularly with a nearby tribe of humans. He provided gradual improvements to their primitive technologies, and in return, they gave him a share of their sustenance."

"And that tribe was the ancestors of my people? How did they come to Mirinoi?"

"One day, Cirron ventured to Zordon's old outpost on Earth, what you rangers later used as your Command Center." Zedd glanced at Tommy, who nodded. "There, he found that Zordon had been using a large plasma tube to maintain power at the base. With his knowledge of Morphing Grid conduits from the Quasar Saber experiment, he reprogrammed the tube into a new, giant conduit, with enough energy to allow Zordon to manifest his face within the tube and communicate from it. The process took a few days, and when Zordon finally manifested, he told Cirron that the human tribe he had befriended had been attacked by enemies." Zedd gave Maya a sorrowful look. "The skirmish had been unfortunately lopsided, and the friendly tribe had been forced to abandon their village and hide in the forest. There, they found Cirron's laboratory.

"When Cirron returned, he found that the village's five surviving warriors had discovered the Quasar Sabers, and had taken them up to try to fight off the enemies and take back their village. Unwilling to see his technology used for war between the humans, Cirron urged the warriors to stand down. Then, in order to save the tribe, he created a new experiment."

"He brought them to Mirinoi," said TJ.

Zedd nodded. "That was the last communication that Cirron sent back to Eltar. He stated that he was taking the tribe of humans to the fertile but uninhabited world of Mirinoi, where they would be safe. There, he would examine how the five warriors handled the power of the Quasar Sabers, and how much of the energy of the Morphing Grid they were able to tap into. Prior to that point, few Eltarians had thought to conscript the primitive human race into the endless war against evil, although some did suspect that they might be surprisingly capable of absorbing the power of the Morphing Grid." Zedd looked around at the rangers. "That theory has since been proven correct."

Everyone looked at Maya, who was once again staring at the five devices in her hand. "Thank you," she said finally. "Both for the gift and for the story of my people."

"You're welcome."

"And, I'm sorry. I know I… I haven't been very kind to you since…"

"It's alright. Your anger was understandable."

Karone once again pulled her eyes away from the device that would attach to Kendrix's Quasar Saber. She would have little need for teleporting between the human worlds, anyway.

Maya turned to Zhane. "Hey, I don't suppose I could get a ride back to Mirinoi?"

"Uh, of course. We can take you back."

"Well, it doesn't have to be everyone. I mean, it's going to take several days to get there, isn't it? I don't want to force everyone to have to take the trip."

Karone raised her eyebrows, watching the expression on Maya's face as she spoke to Zhane. Her mood suddenly seemed to have improved dramatically after Zedd's tale of the history of her people.

Zhane, of course, couldn't catch on to her intended implication. "Alright, well, we can drop the others off on Earth first."

TJ laughed, placing his hand on the Silver Ranger's shoulder. "Dude, come here for a second." Karone watched as TJ led Zhane away from the group and then quietly explained what was going on. Zhane's eyebrows shot up, and his gaze snapped back to Maya.

Karone sidestepped over to Maya. "Can I talk to you?" she whispered.

"Sure." Maya followed Karone just as far away as Zhane had followed TJ.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah, I am. He's… I'm not sure, but there's something about him."

"Maya, I've dated him before. He's…" She recalled how she had explained it to Bulk back on Earth. "He likes mystery in women. Of course he likes you, because you're probably unlike any girl he's ever met before. But once he gets used to you, he'll…" She shrugged. "He's drawn to the unknown."

"I understand that, Karone. I can sense his feelings, and I know that I fascinated him early on. But there's also something more to it, something that makes me feel really happy around him." She smiled, then shrugged. "I won't know until I try, will I?"

"I suppose not." If Maya was happy, then Karone felt happy for her.

Maya turned away and returned to the group. TJ and Zhane were doing the same, but Karone quickly walked over and intercepted her one-time boyfriend.

Pulling down on his shoulder, she leaned towards his ear. "Understand this, Silver Ranger. If you ever do anything to hurt her, I will destroy you." For good measure, she turned her staff until its tip was dangerously close to his face.

Zhane's eyes widened. It was the second time in a matter of days that he'd had the tip of the Wrath Staff inches from his face. He turned and stared at her, then nodded.

"Good. I'm glad you understand." She withdrew the staff, and he hurried back over to the others.

Maya rolled her eyes at Karone, then turned to the others. "It was really great to fight alongside you all again."

Carlos frowned. "Wait, you guys are leaving now? How will we get back to Earth?"

Zedd nodded towards the garrison. "You have the Merevian ship now, remember?"

"But you said that it was difficult to fly," said Andros. "You're the only one who knows how."

Karone returned to the group. "No, he isn't. He taught me how."

Her brother looked at her. "You? You're going to fly us back to Earth?"

"You sound skeptical, Andros."

He started to say something, then thought better of it. "Alright."

Karone smiled and watched as Maya and Zhane bid farewell to the others. She saw Zhane cast a wary glance towards her, and she put on a mask of seriousness, wanting him to know that she had meant her threat.

She really had meant it.

* * *

When Ashley and Cassie returned with Jun'ga, the two Terran women laughed when Andros told them the circumstances of Zhane and Maya's early departure. Jun'ga expressed regret that she had missed saying goodbye to the other yellow ranger, but Ashley assured her that they would probably all see each other again, especially if Jun'ga eventually managed to fulfill her dream of travelling to Venjix, as she put it.

At the mention of Venjix, Zedd went quiet, and then he turned to Andros. "Speaking of Venjix, there's something else I have to tell you rangers."

Seeing his expression, Andros quickly got serious, and the other rangers did the same.

"In the final days of the war, the Machine Empire sent a scout to Ostaven. Astronema had already conquered the planet, but King Mondo had his own designs, of course. He decided to see if Astronema was maintaining her grip on the world, of if it would be vulnerable to reconquest by his own forces."

"Of course he did," Karone muttered. Andros glanced at her.

"The scout crashed in the mountains, and was powered down at the time of the Zordon Wave, so it survived. I found it soon after I arrived here, and turned it back on. Its memory files were damaged, so I thought that I would have the opportunity to… reeducate it, if you will."

"From the tone of the story, I'm guessing that didn't go well," said Ashley.

"At first, it did. The scout remembered nothing. As I used my telepathy to learn the Ostavenian language and culture, it learned with me. Then, when we learned Venjix, something clicked." Zedd looked up at the sky. "The scout stared up at the stars, and it started to remember things.

"I told it that the Machine Empire was gone, and King Mondo with it. The scout vowed to rebuild the empire, and eventually King Mondo himself. Then the scout gave itself a new name: General Venjix."

"General 'Outer Space?'" Tommy made a face. "That doesn't sound pompous at all."

"Would you expect anything less of the Machine Empire?"

"No, I suppose not."

"What happened to this 'General Venjix?'" Cassie asked.

"With its memory restored, it managed to rebuild its ship, and left." Zedd glanced at Andros. "I'm certain it's trying to rebuild the Machine Empire as we speak."

"We won't let that happen," Andros replied. In his peripheral vision, he saw Ashley look at him, but he didn't return the look. "We'll find this General Venjix."

"That sounds like it could take a while," said Cassie. "And four of us are about to start college."

"Then I'll find General Venjix." He finally returned Ashley's look. "It'll be something for me to do while you're busy with college."

After a moment, her expression softened. "Fine."

Tommy had an eager look on his face, but Kat nudged him. "You're also going to be busy with college."

The Red Zeo Ranger rubbed his ribs where she had nudged him. "I know, I know." He looked at Andros. "But let me know as soon as you find this guy."

"Me too," said TJ.

"I will," Andros assured them.

* * *

Karone felt her brother's eyes on her as she carefully navigated the Merevian ship on its approach into Earth's orbit. "What? Afraid I'm going to open fire on the planet?"

"No, I'm afraid you're going to accidentally crash into the Moon."

"Andros, if you don't accept that I'm a decent pilot, I'm going to teleport you to the Moon."

Andros sighed and turned to the wall of the chamber, which was showing a holographic image of their position in relation to the planet.

"Just park it in orbit, and we'll teleport down," TJ suggested.

"That's what I'm doing." Karone maneuvered the ship into a stable orbit. Then she pressed the buttons that Zedd had shown her on the console, and all of the rangers except for Andros were teleported down to Earth.

Andros looked around. "What are you doing?"

"I figured we could do with a little chat, sibling-to-sibling." She turned and leaned against the console, crossing her arms. There was that look of concern in his eyes that was irritating her more and more every time she saw it. "I'm taking the ship."

"What? Where?"

She shrugged. "Wherever I feel like. Wherever I can stir up some trouble."

"Karone, what are you talking about?"

"I'm the Queen of Evil. It's time I embraced the role."

He stared at her.

"I fought Villamax on Ostaven. He's going to keep trying to strengthen evil to restore the balance of the Morphing Grid, but he can only do so much. Me, on the other hand…"

Her brother's features fell further as he realized what she was saying. "Karone, don't tell me you're going to start leading evil armies again."

"Hmm, no, I don't think I'll lead them myself. It's Villamax's destiny to spend eternity fighting losing battles in service to the Morphing Grid. As for me, I think I'll just stir them up and send them on their way." She gave another small shrug. "In service to their Queen, of course."

"Karone, this is crazy."

"All life depends on the Morphing Grid. You know that. If this is what the Morphing Grid needs, I have to do it. I'm the only one who can." She pushed off the console and approached him. "This is what I was raised for. It's my destiny."

He sighed. "And what if we meet in battle?"

"Well, we never managed to destroy each other the first time around, did we?"

He shook his head. "Please don't do this."

"I have to." She turned away from him and returned to the console. Then she looked back at him. "I'll be sure to visit, of course. As your sister, not as your enemy."

He merely stared at her, the resignation visible in his eyes.

She turned back to the console and pushed the necessary buttons. "And you better invite me to the wedding," she added, just before teleporting him down to his friends.

Once he was gone, she shut her eyes, fighting the emotions that were threatening to overcome her resolve.

* * *

He stared up at the sky. She was probably long gone by now.

He was back at Ashley's, standing at her window. Ashley came up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey." After a moment, he turned in her arms, and wrapped his arms around her in turn. "You're really excited to start college, aren't you?"

She smiled. "Of course I am."

He nodded, and looked around her room. "I wish you weren't going to be so busy."

"Oh, don't be like that." She tightened her grip around him. "I'll still have time for you."

"But not for being a ranger."

Her smile turned a little bittersweet, and she shook her head.

He sighed.

"But you'll be going on your robot-hunt, anyway. I'm sure that will keep you busy as well."

"It would be better if you were coming with me."

"I know. But I can't."

He stepped away from the window and out of her arms. Walking over to her bed, he sat down. "I guess everything has to end sooner or later."

She walked over and sat down beside him. Then she took his hand in both of hers. "Not everything."

He gave a small smile. "Not everything." He remembered the last time they had been in here, and the way she reacted when he let slip the word 'husband.' "Would you still react the same way you did last time if I were to mention the possibility of us eventually getting married?"

Her hands were gone from his in an instant. "Andros."

"I guess so."

She shoved him backwards, and his head hit the bed. Then she turned and leaned over him. "Don't you dare mention the M-word until I'm done with college, at least, okay? Promise me."

"I promise."

She gave a small smile, then lay her head down on his chest. "I'm confident we'll get there, but it's still way too early to place any bets."

He brought his arm around her, shutting his eyes and relishing her proximity. He hadn't been able to enjoy this the last time, when she had been stuck in Karone's body.

His eyes snapped open again, and he looked back towards the window. Karone was gone, and he wasn't sure when he would ever see her again.

* * *

As a matter of fact, she was still in orbit. She sat in silence, staring down at the planet. The Wrath Staff lay across her lap, and she gently tapped her fingers against it.

With a sigh, she picked up the Wrath Staff and stood, turning away from the window. Then she stopped and turned back to it.

After thinking for a moment, she teleported down into the hallway of an apartment building. Turning, she knocked on the door she had landed in front of.

It was only a moment before a small man opened the door. He stared at her with wide eyes. "Ast… Ast… Ast…" His jaw flapped up and down as he failed to articulate her name.

"Hello, Skull." She shoved the door open wider, knocking him backwards, and entered the apartment. Then she looked around.

"Karone?" Bulk stood off to the side, giving her a strange look.

She met his eyes, then turned and shut the door behind her. "I need to talk to you."

"Why are you dressed like… her?"

She glanced at Skull. "Would you mind?"

Skull looked back and forth between them. "Uh, yeah. Sure." He quickly scurried into what was probably his bedroom, shutting the door.

Bulk frowned, sitting down on a blue couch that looked like a hand-me-down from his or Skull's parents. He gestured to the other side of it, and she joined him. "What is it?"

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I'm wondering why I'm talking to Astronema right now, but other than that, just fine."

She looked down. "It's me, Bulk."

"Then why are you dressed like her?"

"Because I am her. We're the same person. We always have been."

He sighed, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his legs. "Then who are you really?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Astronema is very evil, and Karone is very not. If you're both of them, then you're not really either, are you?"

She stared at him. There it was again, the sudden wisdom from someone who so frequently acted foolish. "I'm just me. I was raised by Ecliptor to be the Princess of Evil in a time of war, and eventually to become the Queen of Evil when that war was done. I'm a child of KO-35, but I'm also a child of that war itself. It gave me my experiences, my instincts, everything. It was all that I knew."

"But it's not everything you know anymore."

"I know. But it's still who I am. I'm always looking for conflict, even as Karone, even during times of peace. That's why I couldn't stay on Mirinoi. That's why I can't stay here."

"What will you do?"

"I recently learned that the universe relies on a balance between good and evil. So, I'll do whatever the universe needs me to do to maintain that balance, and I'll be whoever it needs me to be."

"So, you're evil for the time being?"

"As needed."

He stared off into space for a moment. "Where will you go?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Someplace far away from here, where I can stir up trouble without hurting anyone I care about."

"Meaning your brother and the other rangers?"

"Not just them." She looked down again, hesitating before asking the question. "Would you come with me?"

"Come with you?" He stared at her.

"If I have to be evil for a while, I would like… I could use the reminder that… there's another side of me."

"And you need me to be that reminder?"

"I just… You know me, both sides. You stood up to me when I was Astronema, and you… you've been a great friend to me as Karone."

He glanced towards the door that concealed Skull. "I think my space-travelling days are done. And… he needs me."

She nodded. "I understand."

"Besides, I don't think you really need me to remind you of anything. You seem pretty capable of understanding who you are on your own."

She smiled. "Thanks." Then she stood, clutching her staff. "Farewell, Bulk."

He stood as well. "Farewell."

She teleported up to the ship, and went to the console. Pulling the ship out of orbit, she set a course for deep space. Then she pulled up the holographic screen and set it to show the void in front of her.

She stared into the endless darkness of her path. Then she closed her eyes, willing her emotions to be left behind in her ship's fiery wake. This was what the Morphing Grid needed of her right now.

It was time to fulfill her destiny.


	16. Bonus Chapter 1: Tommy at Lightspeed

**A/N: Hey all. So, this isn't a teaser for one of my stories, but rather a little teaser to connect Lightspeed Rescue to its preceding seasons. PRLR was the first season that didn't share any continuity with its predecessors until the team-up episode, and is also the first season that featured a solely human operation with no unearthly guidance of any kind. Given its differences and the references I made to it in this story, I figured this would be a fun little scene to add.**

**It's also my first and only time writing from Tommy's POV, which is actually surprisingly difficult. Tommy is the quintessential power ranger, the embodiment courage and the unstoppable quest for justice which the franchise is all about. As such, it was difficult to really get into his head and imagine thoughts that didn't feel too cliche. So, forgive the lack of reflection that typically characterizes my narratives.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Almost everything in this teaser is canon except for the events depicted, and belongs to Hasbro.**

**Bonus Chapter 1: Tommy at Lightspeed**

"Hey, thanks for the ride, man." Tommy held up his fist, and TJ bumped it.

"No problem. Have a safe flight."

"Thanks. And hey, you still know how to rock the red."

TJ laughed and looked down at his red shirt. "Yeah, I do. Take care, boss."

Tommy climbed out of the car, grabbing his bag and entering the airport. There was a surprisingly short line at the counter, and he smiled at the lady as he walked up to her. "Hi. Checking in for the 4:30 to Boston, please."

"Certainly."

Tommy looked up at the departures board, and a different flight caught his eye. "Actually, are there any seats open on that flight to Mariner Bay?"

"Mariner Bay? Let me check… Yes, there are."

"In that case, I'd like to change my ticket."

* * *

It wasn't at all difficult to find the entrance to the underwater base. The conspicuous, guarded door was not far from the beach, and seemed to be consciously avoided by passerby. Tommy walked right up to the pair of guards.

"This area is restricted, Sir."

"I'm here to see Captain Mitchell."

"If you have an appointment, someone will come to escort you in."

"Well, maybe you should call for an escort." Tommy looked around to double-check that no one else was nearby, then held up his wrists and materialized his zeonizers.

The guards stared, and one of them spoke into a radio. "Sir, there's someone here to see Captain Mitchell. I think he's a… power ranger." After a moment, he nodded. "Yes, Sir." He put the radio down, and looked warily at Tommy. "Someone is coming."

Tommy smiled graciously. "Thank you."

It wasn't long before the door behind the guards opened, and a third guard appeared. "This way, Sir." She turned, and Tommy followed her into the base.

He looked around as they went down one hallway and then another. Everyone they passed was either in uniform or in labcoats, but he couldn't see much of the actual activity.

The guard stopped at a door and knocked on it. A voice answered from within. "Come in." The guard opened the door and then stepped aside, gesturing for Tommy to enter. Tommy nodded to her as he passed.

The man behind the desk was in full uniform, and his sharp gaze seemed to shoot right out from his mustached face and pierce into Tommy. Opposite him sat a young woman in a pink blouse and pencil skirt.

"Welcome, Mr. Oliver." Captain Mitchell stood and stepped around his desk, extending his hand.

Tommy realized he probably shouldn't be surprised that the Captain already knew his name. His identity as a power ranger was not common knowledge, but the government had already known a fair amount about him at NASADA. "Pleased to meet you, Sir." He shook the Captain's hand.

The woman also stood, and the Captain gestured to her. "This is my daughter, Dana. She's helping to assemble the Lightspeed Rescue team, which I gather you're here to weigh in on."

Dana extended her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Oliver." Her tone was business-like, even though she looked no older than he was. He smiled and shook her hand.

"Please have a seat," said the Captain, returning to his own seat. "Let me begin by acknowledging our gratitude to you for your courageous service against unknown and unforeseeable threats to humanity. Considering your relative lack of training, what you've accomplished is quite remarkable and inspiring."

"Thank you. The Power Rangers are always here to serve the cause of justice and the benefit of all humanity." He intentionally placed emphasis on the word 'all.'

Captain Mitchell nodded, not missing said intention. "I fully understand your concerns, Mr. Oliver. The government has a history of secrets and espionage. I assure you, however, that the Lightspeed Rescue team will be dedicated solely to facing threats of an extraterrestrial or otherwise inhuman nature. There will be no operations conducted against any other nations of this planet."

"Good." Tommy leaned forward. "I've been thinking a lot lately about the legacy of the Power Rangers. It's not just about defending Earth from the likes of Rita, King Mondo, or Divatox. It's also about being an inspiration. By being the very best of ourselves, we can inspire others to do the same, whatever their talents are." He looked at Dana. "Whoever is on the new team, they have to be capable of the courage and selflessness needed for such a role."

Dana nodded, and looked at her father, who was looking back at her.

"I assure you, Mr. Oliver, we'll find the right people," said the Captain. "The legacy of the Power Rangers will remain in good hands."

"Good." Tommy smiled. "I'll be watching."


	17. Bonus Chapter 2: Glory to the Light

**A/N: Hey all. So I'm going to start posting the next main entry of my series, _Forever Yellow_, later today. This teaser, therefore, is for a little side-story that I have planned and will be writing at a slower pace than the main one.**

**Enjoy! And look out for the first chapter of _Forever Yellow_ in a few!**

**Disclaimer: What you recognize as canon belongs to Hasbro.**

**Bonus Chapter 2: Glory to the Light**

"Glory to the Troobian Federation! Glory to the Light!"

He joined his classmates in echoing the words, doing his best to make it sound just as strong as they did. Then he lowered his arm and turned, following them out in a perfect line.

As they reached the exit of the Academy, the line dissolved into a blob, which then dispersed in various directions. He oriented himself towards home and stared straight ahead, walking quickly. He felt the looks, the disdain, but he ignored it.

He arrived home to find his father already there. "How was school?"

"The same as it always is."

"Good."

He frowned.

His father studied him. "That is what it is supposed to be. Every day is dedicated to the glory of the Light. Always we must be moving forwards and advancing our glory."

"We're not doing anything to advance it."

"Is that so?"

"We're Troobians. We should be conquering worlds and spreading the Light throughout the universe, as we have done for centuries."

"The time of war and conquest is over. Now is the time of peace. All known civilizations have been made to understand the Light. Glory to the Troobian Federation!"

He looked down. "Glory to the Troobian Federation!" he echoed. Then he turned and walked away.

Once beyond his father's sight, he stopped and shut his eyes. The darkness and fires that filled his dreams appeared to him once more. There were more worlds to conquer. He knew it. The Federation should not have just stopped like it did.

He heard the voice, the one that echoed through his dreams each night. He didn't know whether it was the Light itself, but it filled him with pride. It resonated with the promise of purpose, of future glory.

_"Grumm… I have chosen you…"_


End file.
